A Secret Relationship Unlike Any Other
by Readwitch
Summary: Quinn Fabray was, somehow, dating Rachel Berry.  Well, kinda.  She didn't know how it happened, certainly never expected it, but Finn and Rachel were definitely hanging out a little too much.  And she wasn't sure she minded.
1. Chapter 1

A Secret Relationship Unlike Any Other

Quinn Fabray was dating Rachel Berry.

Okay, so she wasn't actually dating Rachel, not like some crazy after-school special where the repressed Christian bully turned out to harbor secret feelings for the girl she spent her childhood torturing. Her life wasn't that messed up. But she does, honest to God, feel like she knows what it would be like to date the girl.

She never saw it coming. Honestly, she still doesn't know how it happened.

Sometimes she tries to figure out how this has happened and when did her life turn into an uncontrollable mess. She has narrowed it down to either the moment she stands in the high rise and watches her boyfriend sing "Don't Stop Believing" with a bunch of misfits for the first time or that instant in eighth grade when she walked into a brand new school and laid eyes on a certain loud, obnoxious midget for the first time. The moment she started to "date" Rachel is a little harder to place.

She wants to say that it happened after Prom. That Finn realized, after their huge blowout fight later about his insufferable need to act without thinking, that he was a jack-ass. That he went to Rachel for help since he's such a moron and probably thought it was his best option. That Rachel agreed to help him, out of some misguided sympathy after her little episode in the bathroom and the fact that she could currently entertain herself with Jesse. But she knows this isn't true.

Because, the day after Prom, while Quinn was yelling at Finn, berating him for leaving her to try (and fail) to punch out a guy for making Rachel laugh, he had let slip that she was lucky he even went to Prom. That he was sick and tired of her micromanaging every step and expecting him to be excited about it. She had tried to tell him that she just wanted a little effort, because this was one thing that would make her happy and he was supposed to want to make her happy, and she knew he was capable of it.

Look at her corsage, she had yelled. Look what he was capable of when he tried. It was perfect.

"Rachel told me to get that for you. The make, the flower, the freaking color. That wasn't me. I knew whatever I got you would just piss you off. She's the only reason I even went to that stupid thing," he had blurted out angrily, obviously having, once again, lost the brain to mouth connection. He instantly realized the problem with what he said, possibly because of the look that must have passed over her face. He had instantly apologized. Told her that he didn't mean it. That he knew how lucky he was the minute he saw how pretty she looked. Compared to the words Rachel had told her the night before, and the knowledge that the only thing right he had done in the entire fiasco of a night wasn't even his to claim, it meant very little.

But she knew exactly where she stood on the social chain, the Prom Quinn debacle had told her that much at least, and knew that his heart was probably in the right place. So she accepted his half rate apologies and sent him on his way. That honestly would have been the end of it, the end of the whole unpleasant experience, but it wasn't. Not by a long shot.

The next day was Sunday, and she, of course, went to church early in the morning. Though she was usually back by nine, it was assured that she wouldn't see Finn until at least the afternoon because he took every opportunity to sleep in. That day though, it was obvious that he had done some thinking after she sent him home the day before, because she had come home with her Mom by nine and he was out their waiting for her. His hair was still tussled from sleep and he looked half asleep, but he was there.

He had shot up as the car pulled in and stood up straight, though his movements were a little jerky. As she opened the door, he was already reaching to turn on the stereo laying at his feet. For a brief horrible moment, she experienced some kind of post traumatic stress disorder as she remember the last time Finn unexpectedly sang to her in front of her mother (and dad the first time) with a stereo. But it passed. Because this time there no secret to share. Just a boy using a soft sweet song to sing his apology out to the girl he loved. It immediately charmed her mother, who had always been a bit taken with Finn (especially when she found out he had never been the father). It may have charmed her a bit too. Especially since she thought he figured it was forgiven.

Finn never really apologized sincerely all that much. It happened occasionally, but he usually was either apologizing without meaning it to calm her down, or making himself out to be the victim. Either way, he usually felt he was in the right. Obviously, he had somehow realized exactly how much of an ass he had been, which yeah, was a little weird. But she hadn't questioned it.

But this was the first sign of what was to come. It wasn't until much later that day, right before bed, and she had spent much of the day with an adorably sweet Finn, that she figured out exactly where his charming plan and thoughtful apology had come from.

She had been reading Jacob's blog, which was, embarrassing enough a nightly ritual with her. She didn't care about the vast majority of what he had to say, but it was a rumor site and she had been featuring quite heavily since she started preparing for Prom Queen. Now that it was over, she wanted to hear what people were saying about her, even if it meant reading the skeezy site. She was skimming the newest article about Rachel, mostly out of boredom really, when she saw something that made her blood freeze and she shot up straight on her bed.

According to the little pervert, he had seen her boyfriend and his ex talking pretty closely in front of her house. She was only a little more relieved when she read further. Apparently, it happened Saturday evening, sometime after he left her, so at least she was still his first priority, even if he had immediately scurried after the other girl. But, like with her, he was apparently giving half-hearted apologies that made it seem like he was the good guy, coming to her rescue and, according to the blog, "the sweet maiden had turned a delicious scarlet as a beautiful rage empowered her" and she had started yelling at the boy. Finn had argued back, digging himself deeper, and somehow the talk shifted to her, apparently with Finn using her acceptance of his apology as a reason why Rachel should forgive him.

Rachel had "turned deadly silent, though still astoundingly beautiful in her rage, apparently struck dumb by the moronic brute" and proceeded to rip him to shreds with a careful logical argument. Somehow, her worst enemy was the one to tell Finn that she was obviously not fine and he needed to do something. And when he "rather apathetically and ineptly" came up with nothing, Rachel had dragged him into her house for the rest of the night.

While the narrative of the piece made her want to gag, it all made too much sense. After Church was probably the only time he would have been sure to be able to find her and surprise her, but there is no way that Finn would have not only thought of that, but cared enough to wake up that early. No doubt the girl had called his phone until he got dressed and probably forced him to get everything ready before he went to bed. She definitely picked the song. A part of her raged at the boy, even as a teeny-tiny, insignificant part of her was flattered that Rachel cared enough to help.

But she didn't really know how to respond to the situation. She didn't want to break up with him, despite what a moron he was being. At least he cared enough to try. He may have been confused about his feelings with Rachel, probably because, with Jesse St. James around, she wasn't pining away for him. But they could deal with that. They could move past it. And, by this time next year, everything would be perfect.

And that would have been the end of it, except it didn't end.

Honestly, at first she thought the weird situation was over and done with. Finn screwed up, Rachel helped him in a somewhat creepy manner, and she forgave them, him! But it sorta…kept happening. Slowly, but surely. And it kinda reminded her of the first time Finn started to pull away. When he was staying with her out of obligation instead of want and Rachel was making an effort to stay close to him, be his friend, without overstepping her bounds because of Be- because she was pregnant and everyone thought Finn was the father.

She remembered when the whole school found out about the pregnancy and the only reason it hadn't happen sooner is because of Rachel Berry. The girl had given Jewfro her underwear to prevent him from spreading the news of her situation and her boyfriend knew about it. He was perfectly satisfied with letting her enemy try and take care Jewfro and protect her and didn't do it himself. Where was he? For all of his problems, if Puck had known he would have threatened Jewfro into silence. But she couldn't be grateful to Rachel, not when she knew the girl was doing it for Finn and not her.

And when Finn was, once again, unable to stand up and support her, unable to do something as simple as getting a job to help pay for her baby expenses (no matter how unfair it was to ant that from him), Rachel once again came to the rescue. Like the corsage, this was probably something she wasn't supposed find out. She knows, though, that it is not a coincidence that Finn, who is completely incapable of getting a job, finds a job right after she confronts him in front of Rachel. And a job that was obviously got through a deviousness that Finn certainly isn't capable of. That certainly wasn't her intention when she told the other girl to stay.

And just like now, she knew that she had very little to do with Rachel's help, that Rachel was just trying to be a good "friend" to Finn and helping her was just a side effect. Because the second she discovered the true paternity (and she still wasn't sure how this happened) she had wasted no time proving where her loyalty lay.

So it is not a completely new situation that came out of nowhere. There has been…indications that this was a possibility. But who would seriously see it coming.

The next day was the first day of school after Prom and Finn had picked her up early and the two had breakfast at Denny's before school, which they had never done before. He walked her to all of her classes, sat with her at lunch, and made sure the whole school saw that the two of them were doing great, despite Prom. He even gave her a flower as he dropped her off at her first class.

It was perfect. And so soon after the serenading. She sighed to herself, wondering if Rachel was being a busybody or if Finn had sought her out after her first suggestion did so well. But it was working out so well for her, especially as the rest of the week continued in a similar manner, that she couldn't bring herself to complain.

Especially since he had actually managed to not sing any duets with Rachel since then, although that, once again, could have been a side effect of Jesse St. James who had somehow managed to be roped into Glee Club Consultant and was running the ragged. Well trying to. Quinn was remaining mostly apathetic, Finn was flaking out a little, and Rachel seemed to be enjoying herself way too much.

But none of that really mattered. Despite St. James interference, Finn managed another serenade during Glee Club, just as romantic as the first. Quinn knew Rachel helped with that one too, at least so far as distracting St. James away so that the song was possible.

On Friday, Finn brought in a "happy Friday" cupcake that was homemade and delicious, and, undoubtedly, made by Rachel. She knew this because, aside from the fact that the only one who could bake in Finn's house was Kurt, she saw St. James chowing down on his own, very similar cupcake. And they weren't even dating. She thinks.

They had a date Friday night, which Finn had asked her about on Monday, and it wasn't to Breadstix, which was one of the more high-class places they would go. And it definitely wasn't pizza and a movie, or bowling (which Quinn despised).

No, Finn picked her up Friday night, greeting her with a gorgeous bouquet and fancy chocolates, and the two took off in his car to a nearby park. They had a nice romantic walk through the park and shared a picnic in the park. It was incredible, if a little cutesy. He used an actual picnic basket and all the food was homemade, healthy items held in reusable, eco-friendly containers. They say on what appeared to be a hand-knitted blanket and drank virgin Cosmos.

Not a single part of the date seemed like something Finn was capable of, but she held her tongue and just allowed herself to enjoy herself.

The next night Finn invited her out to see a movie and chose a chick-flick to watch. And, instead of gross movie theatre popcorn, he smuggled in some healthy alternatives, once again in reusable containers. It was like he had Rachel under employment as the date planner.

No doubt, if Quinn let this continue, one day Rachel would be planning her wedding.

But she couldn't help but let it continue, if only because, for the first time since Sam dumped her, she was in a relationship that the school approved of, was helping her socially, and was actually enjoying herself.

Even when, on Wednesday the next week, Rachel grilled her for "a glee club project" about her favorite flowers, colors, movies, foods, and just about everything a good boyfriend should know. Which meant she had probably asked Finn and discovered he remembered approximately five percent of the words Quinn speaks, which usually amounts to "over the bra, but under the shirt", and stuff like that.

Which, yes, was a little annoying.

But Friday found Finn somehow smuggling in her favorite food during lunch and she had her favorite flowers somehow waiting for her in her locker at the end of the day.

She knows he doesn't come up with the ideas on his own, probably doesn't even help with them, and definitely has help pulling them off, but the rest of the school doesn't. All they see is Finn treating her magnificently, like a Queen.

They don't see Rachel behind the scenes, finding some way to channel all her crazy into something productive.

Maybe that's even why she's doing this. She's (probably) not dating St. James, and, although she has seen some more than friendly interactions between the two, Rachel can't focus all her energy on him because of this. Although she's not sure why the girl isn't dating him.

And she can't focus the craziness on trying to win back Finn anymore (she heard Rachel turned the auditorium into a winter wonderland and Finn still blew her off). She doesn't know the exact reason why, but after Prom, Rachel had completely dropped the idea of wooing Finn away from her.

But she still wanted to hang out with him and be his friend. And it is probably all of this – an outlet for her crazy, distracting her from St. James, trying to stay close and be a good friend to Finn, and probably a little bit of pity or something for Quinn – combined that have caused this crazy situation.

And she has tested it. Seen how much training and thought Rachel was putting into this.

She had, offhandedly, informed Finn that she was canceling their sushi date (and, yeah, they ate sushi now) so she could go shopping, even though she didn't have anyone to go with her, and he had responded like normal. He was a little bit belligerent, but mostly apathetic, telling her they'd reschedule.

The next day, right around the time she was going to leave, Finn pulled up and asked if he could "have the honor of escorting her to the mall." It made her wonder if Finn had a recording device hidden away that Rachel studied after every date. Or if Finn went over to her house and complained about her.

She thought both possibilities were equally likely.

Finn was the perfect gentleman at the mall, carrying her bags without being asked, buying her a smoothie of her favorite flavor without needing to ask what that was, and willing to hang around with her and look at clothes instead of breaking away to hang at EB Games or the arcade.

She may have tested him further, though, by trying on clothes for a while longer than normal in one store, making him wait mostly patiently outside the changing room. At one point she tried on a completely unflattering dress and asked him if she looked fat in it, testing his response.

"I'm not the person to ask, I think you look lovely in a garbage bag. In that, you look beautiful," was the charming reply she received.

Quinn wondered if Rachel not only had him wired but was speaking to him through an earpiece.

In the end, she decided that, despite the overall creepiness factor, and the fact that Rachel might quit at any moment, she decided to just go along with it.

She enjoyed dating a guy who knew when she wanted a spectacularly romantic date and when she just wanted to hang out and watch a movie.

She enjoyed getting little gifts and note, poetry and flowers throughout the week.

She enjoyed having somebody serenade her with romantic songs that didn't lead to her getting kicked out of the house.

She liked that he was willing to wake up earlier to pick her up and bring her a pastry or coffee just because. She liked that he wasn't putting his foot in his mouth nearly as often and, when he did, always figured it out on his own and made up for it. She liked the way he held her books as he walked her to her classes, like a charming character from a movie.

And the looks of envy from her classmates, the bewilderment that showed on Sam's face, and the looks of disgust Santana shot her certainly were fun as well. She didn't even mind the look of pride and joy that Rachel wore when she saw the two of them together. Or the disgruntled expression that St. James wore as he tried to figure out what was going on.

Though she did mind the cat calendar she saw in Finn's locker that had her schedule, his schedule, and an arrangement of post-it notes covering it.

But for all the perks, she could stomach it. Especially considering that her birthday was next month and she couldn't wait to see what Rachel was going to come up with.

So, yeah, she never thought she would basically be dating Rachel for the second half of the year. But she didn't mind because honestly…

It was pretty awesome.


	2. Another Unexpected Turn

**A/N: Just to let everyone know, this is the next part in the story, but, unfortunately, it is not nearly as funny. I kept it a little humorous in the beginning, but you guys wanted Faberry, and that means I have to get rid of Finn. And, sadly, Rachel needs his vocals for nationals, so I couldn't kill him off, which means break-up. So it gets sad. It's just a pretty drastic style change from the previous chapter, so…sorry about that. But the next chapter (the final part) will be guaranteed angst free? **

Another Unexpected Turn

She didn't know how this happened.

She may not have won Prom Queen, but life had been going pretty great lately. She was dating the Quarterback of the school football team, that had actual done very well for a change, the Cheerios had lost for the first time in a great many years just because she (and Brittany and Santana) had quit, and the team she was on and enjoyed being on was going to Nationals in New York City. Plus, her boyfriend, who could be a complete dolt, was actually treating her fantastic.

Even if it was because he was being controlled like a little puppet by the girl Quinn thought of as her greatest high school nemesis who was still in love with him.

And, while that might possibly be the weirdest thing that had ever and would ever happen in her life, she thought it was kind of okay.

Possibly because it had some pretty magnificent perks. Finn, who had forgotten she lived with him and left without her half the time when she was pregnant, had been picking her up and driving her to school each morning, even though she had her own car. He was even managing to get up early enough for them to either pick up breakfast on the way, buy her some specialty breakfast before getting her, or actually going to Denny's before school.

Once, the boy had actually brought her a bacon-heavy breakfast in bed. She had wondered about the homecooked meal, as Finn definitely couldn't cook and Quinn hadn't seen Rachel, the vegan, crying about cooking any baby chicken or killing little piggies. Soothing her curiosity, though, she had seen the girl conspiring softly with a disgruntled looking Kurt, who was apparently her new best friend, as they touted around cookware.

Quinn couldn't imagine what she had told the boy in order to get his cooperation and his silence.

But it didn't stop there. Ever since she had embraced the crazy, accepting some seriously strange Lion King calendar with her face during a bad hair day pasted over Simba's (seriously, she was late once!), things have been even more amazing. Finn somehow managed to get a hall pass that allows him to walk her to every single class. He never gets jealous when she hangs out with Sam, as friends, and even lets Sam borrow the pass to walk her to class sometime. And, on those days when the constant Finn causes her claustrophobia to act up, he knows just when to back up and give her some space.

He (Rachel) even arranged for a once-a-week "Me Time" session at the local spa, complete with vouchers that allowed her to bring friends or family sometimes. In fact, the big lug-head (once again, Rachel) had even arranged a "Mommy-and-Teen" special circumstance setup and the two had really bonded. She didn't really want to go into it, but, while she was getting a massage, her mother had a random crazy happenstance meet-up with "that tiny brunette with the big voice" and, soon enough, somehow her and her Mom were crying.

Which didn't happen in this family. Normal Fabray protocol was hold it in and turn it off. It was part of the reason she was so convinced that she was going to be a Stepford Wife one day, just like her Mom had been. But the two of them had actually cried together and talked to each other, openly and honestly, for the first time in who knows how long. Her Mom had since started going to AA and the two were having weekly Sunday brunches after they would go to their newer, more liberal Church. Neither of them were completely sure of the Church, but it was a lot less judgmental and, at the very least, was different than the one Quinn's Father still frequented (the hypocrite).

All she knew was that these changes, and Quinn was generally against changes, were very positive and mostly due to Finn (sigh, Rachel). Even her Mom knew. The last after-Church brunch, and Finn came to both, she had actually thanked the boy, who had just smiled and nodded. Times like that, when Finn so easily took credit for these things, Quinn remembered that she is not dating the real Finn. And she's happy that she's dating the weird Finchel hybrid.

Yeah, it would be less weird if she was just dating Finn in a completely normal, heterosexual way (and Quinn is still 100% heterosexual for sure), but sometimes Finn opens his mouth and complete nonsense escapes Rachel Berry's orders and she remembers why this situation is better than just Finn. Even mixed with some of that extra special brand of Berry Craziness.

Seriously, the girl (hiding behind the boy) had included Karaoke at the Quinn Fabray All-Day Birthday Extravaganza. Yeah, it was a small part of the Birthday Carnival Rachel had thrown and was completely voluntary, so it wasn't a big deal, but still. Just because she was in Glee, didn't mean she would want karaoke at her Birthday Event (she had loved it and its collection of music from the 60s).

Still, it was awesome the way she connived with Puck to cause flooding in the school to give them, and the rest of the school, the day of to "frolic to their hearts' content." And the fireworks at the end of the night were pretty great too. That girl was insane.

But it had worked out so well for her.

And, now, Finn was ruining everything!

Finn had broken up with her. At a funeral.

She had finally finished fixing up her make-up in the restroom, trying to avoid looking over at Rachel who was doing the same (she failed and they had another weird staring session that sometimes ended up happening). It had been so heartbreaking. Of course, she had never met Coach Sylvester's sister, but, for better or worse, Sylvester had been a big part of her life. She thought the women was downright certifiable, the definition of evil, and to see her up there, broken and unable to read her own words, made her seem so human.

It was…she wondered if that was how people like Rachel saw her, some crazy, evil harpy bent on ruining her life for the hell of it. She knew the thought was crazy, at least concerning Rachel since, out of everyone, Rachel had seen her mask break a little, like at Prom, but the thought plagued her. It made her think of her future. She kept up a good façade, keeping people at a distance, but she didn't want…

It was probably her greatest fear, and something she saw as an inevitability, that she would end up just like all the adults around her that saw her in them. Who recognized her for the failure she swas.

She didn't want to grow up alone and angry, still living the life of a high school bully, using the success of others to feel better about herself. She didn't want to be Sue Sylvester.

She didn't want peak at high school and marry her high school sweetheart, who she did care deeply about, just to watch as he drifted away, until her own fears and insecurities ruined them. She didn't want to be Terri Schuester.

She didn't want to try and be perfect, marry the person her parents approved of and spending her adult life still just trying to be the perfect daughter and the perfect wife, even at the expense of her own wants and needs. She didn't want to be her mother.

So, yeah, she had needed a little time to compose herself. She was so twisted about the whole Finn thing, to be honest. She knew he was only so great lately because of Rachel, and Rachel wouldn't always be around, but, at the same time, he was willing to let his ex-girlfriend pull and tug at his strings just to keep her happy. That meant a lot. And maybe she didn't want her mother's future, but she would rather be her mom than Sylvester. And Finn would never be like her Dad, so controlling and unrelenting. It wasn't in his nature.

But, apparently, Finn had enough. She had finally complimented him on something that, she was pretty sure, was actually him for a change (and it might show that they had a problem when she had trouble distinguishing which actions actually came from Finn). And he broke up with her.

Right there, in the car. She thought he was being so chivalrous in driving her, but now…why couldn't he have waited, even a day.

And as he broke up with her, Quinn's first thought wasn't about the loss of status or his kisses or anything like that, it was-

"Because of Rachel?" she asked, still shell-shocked, "Because you still love her?" She pulled her hand away from the boy.

It was something she had been worried about for a while. Part of her figured that, since Finn was on the giving end instead of the receiving, he would eventually tire of being ordered around and putting in so much effort. He would either get mad at Rachel for being such a "controllist" or he would want to be the Quinn in the situation and have the other girl back to adoring him. Leaving Quinn in the cold.

She couldn't let that happened. The only reason she hadn't stopped the Finchel friendship dynamic a while ago was because of all the perks she got. She had been so relieved that, apparently, Rachel was choosing to reject St. Beiber and stay single, the boy was anything but subtle in his attempts to win Rachel over, because she had been so powerless in that situation.

It wasn't like she could seduce Jesse away, at least not while keeping Finn and staying on Rachel's good side.

But, this she could handle. She had to. Finn could not break up with her. She could not let Finn and Rachel get back together and leave her in the cold. She would not lose Rachel.

She listened to the boy sputter excuses, not even making any real sense.

"I shouldn't have done this with you," he said, not apologizing for the timing or the situation, "I thought that I could fix everything from last year, but I- I can't. I just can't and that feeling that Sue was talking about in there, about being tethered to someone, I – I just – I don't feel that way about you."

And, of course, perfect golden boy Finn, had to make it out that he failed in some noble deed. He wasn't trying to fix anything. Nothing had been broken. Fixing would have been the two of them talking, both giving apologies, admittedly more from her end, and becoming friends. Clearing the air.

He had wanted her because she was popular and pretty and was the only one not lining up to kiss up to him. She had dated him. He wasn't that impressive. But he was also so comforting and malleable, the golden boy that got away because of her mistakes. Finn convinced her that he loved her, enough to forgive her for cheating on him and lying to him, and convinced her to become the cheater again, once again with her boyfriend's best friend. She had strayed because the boy wanted her over Rachel and had, almost immediately regretted it. But she pretended she didn't pasted a smile on and went with it, even as Sam dumped her and Finn wanted to hide her. She had only cheated because she thought he already felt that way, connected or tethered or whatever.

And even if she didn't and he didn't, that would grow. It doesn't just exist, unless you're a moron who believes in love at first sight. That feeling comes with a relationship, it doesn't mean you have to be in one. Her Mom had been going to AA meetings and talking with people, talking with her. She knew that her Mom, despite the betrayal and the oppression, still felt this way about her Dad, so did she, but that didn't mean she should go back to him.

"But you do with her," she asked, getting back to the conversation. It was the second time she had basically asked if he was leaving her because of Rachel, but she had to know. He still didn't answer, but the way he looked down guiltily was enough.

She had to stop this. She couldn't let Finn get back together with Rachel and leave her. She didn't want either part of her weird relationship to leave her, never mind both. She was Quinn Fabray, she was supposed to be perfect, if she was okay with their weird almost-threesome dynamic, then couldn't he be. Why did he have to ruin everything?

She took a deep breath, bottling everything, trying to get past her whirling emotions to make this work.

"No," she started, grabbing another breath as she composed herself, "We're not breaking up. I can handle your confusion with Rachel until you get over it. We're gonna stay together and next year, we'll be Prom King and Queen an-"

"Just stop it," Finn interrupted, jarring her from the half-baked fantasy where some crazy campaign ideas from Rachel helped them win for sure and pulling the smile off her face. "'Kay. I don't want that life."

All those deep breaths she took escaped back out, like a balloon losing its air just as she lost hope. He wasn't going to let it go. By the time she exited this car, she would have no one.

"Don't you feel anything anymore?" he snapped at her, apparently angry that she wasn't reacting to the break up in the manner he wanted. It brought her back to her earlier musing, watching as the women everyone thought was some psycho robot become human.

Of course she had feelings.

"This is real," he continued, "This is happening." And, like that, it was. For all she had thought, from the moment she had picked him out of all the boys in their grade, and again over Sam, she had never thought that he would be her Father.

But, here he was, yelling at her what she should be feeling, how she should be acting, even as he abandoned her.

She felt the tears escaping, trickling down her cheek.

"Are you happy now?" she asked calmly, sadly, knowing she had lost the battle with her emotions, "Is this me feeling enough for you?" The boy looked taken aback.

"Quinn, I'm sorry." He said reaching out for her, "I still love you."

"Just, just, don't touch me," she snarled. He didn't apologize for how they got together or for keeping her a secret. He hadn't ever, without Rachel, given her a sincere apology for ruining what should have been the greatest night of her life. He didn't apologize for breaking up with her, at a funeral, and choosing another girl over her. He doesn't get to apologize for finally voicing his opinion about her.

I still love you…bullshit. This is not how you treat someone you even care about, much less love. Fine, she couldn't force him to love her or date her, but he could have at least had the decency to not break up with her on impulse! Think it over, tell her they need to talk so she could be prepared. Not blindsided with no way home.

She jumped out of the car and ran for the road. She had nowhere really to go. Her Mom was still at work and all of the Gleeks…she couldn't them know she had been humiliated. As if any of them would care. Santana would laugh at her. Lauren and Puck, the father of her child who had also once told her he loved her, had proven they didn't care with the whole Lucy Caboosey situation. Mercedes and her hadn't had a conversation in forever, and, while the girl would probably help her, it would just seem like she was using her whenever there was a crisis. Sam didn't have a car anyways, and Rachel…

One thing this entire thing taught her, the one major surprise, was that Rachel, somehow, truly seemed to know her. The other girl knew what she liked and how much craziness she could handle. Favorite foods, colors, flowers, shows, music. How she acted, thought, felt. Yet, despite all that, Quinn knew that Rachel had feeling for Finn; she cared about Finn and not her.

She would choose Finn. And Quinn would lose Rachel. And, to lose two people was rough, but knowing she was going to be abandoned by someone who knew her so well…it would basically prove that she was worth staying around for.

She couldn't call Rachel. Finn would let her know what happened soon enough, she didn't need to rush it.

So she was walking home. In her funeral clothes. Hoping nobody saw her.

Great.

Unfortunately, she didn't walk far before a familiar looking car pulled up in front of her.

She tensed for a moment before she realized where she recognized the car; it was Mrs. Puckermans. She must have let Puck borrow it for the funeral instead of taking his beat-up truck.

Shit.

She stood there, unmoving, not wanting to approach the car. Maybe if she just stayed where she was, they would decide she wasn't worth the effort. No luck.

The front passenger door opened and Rachel popped out, running towards her with a concerned look on her face, and Quinn sighed, wondering how long the look would last.

One look at Quinn's face stopped Rachel in her tracks, and Quinn cursed at Rachel's ability to see through her. The determined look appeared on the girl's face.

"Quinn," she said softly, as if talking to an easily spooked animal. Quinn had to admit that it was probably an apt metaphor. "Are you okay?"

Her eyes were big and full of concern for her. Quinn's eyes sunk to the floor, hoping it would make her harder to read (and unable to look at those brown eyes).

"I'm fine," she responded, quietly and with full control.

"Quinn," Rachel spoke gently, and Quinn recognized it as a call of attention. She looked up at the suddenly close Rachel. Looked at those eyes. "It's alright Quinn. I'm here. What happened?"

Quinn didn't know if it was the eyes or the ways Rachel said her name, but the tiny crack Finn had made shattered and she turned away again, choking back a sob.

"He broke up with me," she mumbled, raising a hand to wipe away at her leaking eyes, "Finn broke up with me after the funeral. He wants you. He always wanted you. Because he feels tethered to you and not me. Because you're so great and gonna make it out of this shitty town and- and still feel things, unlike me apparently. I couldn't stay there any longer. I had to get away from him."

Rachel gaped at her, stunned. Unlike Finn, Quinn knew Rachel wasn't shocked at the emotion, she had seen Quinn cry before, but apparently at the break-up. Which was a good thing. If Rachel had known and let it happen like that…

The other girl moved suddenly, reaching for her little purse to pull out a travel container of Kleenexes. Rachel started to hand it to her even as she, embarrassingly, leaned forward to the other girl. Rachel froze for a second, less than a second, before shifting her hand.

"Can I?" she asked, motioning towards her face, and it was like déjà vu. But Quinn liked the way Rachel always asked before touching, or got permission in some form, and didn't mind. She didn't know why the other girl did it, because she knew it wasn't just with her, but appreciated it since Quinn herself was so touchy about people being grabby. She figured it had something to do with her claustrophobia.

But Rachel was so small and soft and gentle. It was different than when Puck was on top of her or Finn reached for her or even Sam dropping his arm of her shoulder. So she gave nod, closing her eyes as Rachel gently wiped away her tears. Again.

Why did this keep happening with her? Why was she always losing her cool? Why was Rachel alone the only one that seemed to make her feel better?

"I don't know what's going on, Quinn," Rachel stated delicately, carefully maneuvering around her make-up, "but I know you didn't deserve this. Finn can be…difficult sometimes, but you deserve so much more."

Quinn sniffed, soaking in the words and the affection lacing them. Unable to help herself, she leaned into the other girl completely, hiding her face in Rachel's neck. She felt Rachel hesitantly wrap her arms around her.

They just stood there silently for a moment before Quinn took the plunge. She couldn't do it looking at her or in front of anyone, but cradled like this, somehow tucked comfortably into the other girl…

"I don't want to lose…what's been going on. With me, you, and Finn. I've…liked it."

She felt Rachel freeze and worried.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she heard, and Quinn could admit that Rachel had a future in front of her on the stage. The denial made her want to pull away and run, instead she held tighter.

"I'm not stupid, okay? I'm not some idiot boy you can-" (trick and coerce into believing whatever lies you can spin), she stopped herself. She wouldn't say that. She was getting defensive and when she got defensive she got mean (and apparently self-hating since that much more accurately describe her). She took another breath, not to hide or bottle anything up, but to calm down.

"I'm not stupid, but I'm not mad. I don't care. I liked it, whatever it was. I don't want to lose that. Finn left me and you're going to run back into his arms and leave me behind," she whispered into Rachel's neck, losing control of the tears again by the end.

"It's okay," Rachel whispered frantically, "I'm not leaving. I'm here." The smaller girl continued cooing at her, trying to reassure her, but Quinn couldn't stop. Rachel said that now, acted like she cared, but Rachel was a good person. Rachel forgave Quinn, Finn, Jess…Kurt was her best friend now and this time last year he had been spitting insults and giving fake makeovers. When someone was in need, despite her general cut-throat appearance, Rachel had to help.

She may have sent that Sunny girl to a crackhouse, but if the transfer student had cried or expressed self-doubt, (especially one-on-one) Rachel wouldn't have been able to control herself. She would end up reassuring and cheering for the girl, sharing her strength like always.

She didn't know how long they stood for, Rachel whispering reassuring words in her ear as she cried, but soon enough Puck ran out of patience and started incessantly, and immaturely, beeping his horn.

Quinn finally pulled away. Drained, she allowed Rachel to tenderly take her hand and pull her to the car. She didn't understand how Rachel could be the loudest, most obnoxious girl around, pushing and shoving her way to the top, yet still be capable of such calm gentleness.

She remembered Rachel had come from the front and tried to loosen their grips as they approached the car, but Rachel was having none of that. She pulled the back door open to show Lauren and Sam, also apparently having rode with Puck.

"Lauren," Rachel started primly, as if she hadn't just spent twenty minutes comforting her high school nemesis and pulled her over, "You can have the front now."

Lauren looked at her with confusion, which was nice since she had previously been staring at Quinn.

"I thought you said you had to sit in the front or you spewed all over the place," the girl asked incredulously.

"I lied," Rachel replied with a nonchalant shrug, apparently not afraid of the wrestler twice her size. Quinn felt the inane urge to jump in front of her, but ignored it, choosing only to tighten her hand. "Only because you ignored the social norm that is "shotgun." If you play by the rules, I don't bend them."

With a glare, Lauren moved to the front seat where she was enthusiastically greeted by Puck. Ignoring Sam's questioning glance, thankfully he knew when to keep his mouth shut, the two slid into the backseat. Quinn wasn't sure what the protocol was, but allowed herself to lean into Rachel, snuggling against her.

And when Puck first stopped at Rachel's house, she allowed herself to be pulled out of the car, grateful that she wouldn't be left to the curious piranhas.

She let the girl get her settled in, changing into the offered sweat pants and t-shirt that were much to big (probably belonging to one of her fathers) and settling in on the couch. She accepted the hot chocolate, made with marshmallows and soymilk, as Rachel adjusted the pillows and blankets around them.

The television and stereo stayed off as they looked at each other.

Apparently, they were going to talk.

**A/N: Like I said, sorry it wasn't laugh central. But next is the ending that covers things beginning to end from Rachel's side and it is a guaranteed happy ending.**


	3. From The Eyes of an Ingenue

**A/N: Alright, I lied. One more part after this. I started the resolution, but ended up backtracking, so this basically Rachel's POV on the situation.**

**Enjoy.**

**(The Final Part will be up soon)**

**Part 3: From The Eyes of the Ingénue **

Well, this was certainly a fine situation she got herself tangled up in this time.

Rachel could admit that this completely weird mess was mostly her fault, although Finn certainly had his part to play. But, with Quinn softly crying into her shoulder, and Sam giving them a very weird look to boot, Rachel was finally regretting it.

It had all began so innocently too.

The thing was, Finn left her miserable. When she was dating him, she felt like she was constantly failing and falling short, a feeling she hated, and the break-up was further proof of that. But without him, everything was so much worse. Sectionals this year showed her that she was no closer to being friends with the rest of the club than last year, aside from Noah, and the phrasing, the way Santana said they were just pretending, well, it made her doubt her current friendships.

Noah is her friend. He has proven it time and time again.

Kurt is her friend. He wasn't always, but they were definitely really close now.

Everyone else…who knows. Rachel likes to act as if they are, but knows better. Like Mercedes, who sees her as a rival who gets everything, but is consistently unwilling to put in the extra work. Or Artie who is slowly proving himself to be the biggest misogynist in the club. Brittany, who enjoys being the sugar to Santana's spice but still finds time to mock and tease her. Even Santana, who has never hidden her disdain for Rachel, but still finds time to check her out.

Of course, Finn and Quinn have always been the most difficult to figure out. On the surface, they are both very simple. Quinn hated her; the product of a mix of jealousy and honest contempt. Finn loved her; the product of appreciation and genuine affection.

In fact, though, the two of them seem to feel for her similarly. She knows that both of them envy and dislike the way she seems so at ease with who she is. Finn has made numerous remarks about her weirdness and Rachel has put up with that aspect from Quinn for ages. Rachel also knows that both of them love her voice, even if Quinn hates that she loves it. They are both so affected by what the sheep at McKinley think of them, it really is no wonder they ended up together again.

But Finn, who is supposed to love her, won't stand up for her in front of the club, chooses Santana's side over hers, and seems to dislike all of the choices she makes. He dislikes her normal clothes, but hates it when she changes. He breaks up with her after she kissed Noah and was honest about it, but chooses the girl who got pregnant behind his back and lied about it. He refused to take her back, but tried to punch out the first guy she danced with.

Quinn, who is supposed to hate her, stood up for her and pushed the original song idea. Even though it was ultimately not what she really wanted, she was more than willing to help her when she wanted a node job. The girl even said that they were friends now and put up with a lot in Rachel's quest to win Finn back.

People were so confusing sometimes.

But Rachel hadn't meant to start anything when she suggested the corsage. She just…Prom is important. Even with Junior Prom, it was the time for them to feel good about themselves. It was why she worked so hard to get Sam and Mercedes to go (who, by the way, would make an excellent couple – although it would mean she was responsible for 2/3 Sam relationships). And it was pretty obvious that it was more important to Quinn than anyone else.

A part of her couldn't believe that Finn couldn't put in the smallest amount of effort for the girl he claimed to love, but she also remembered dating him. So she made a suggestion. She really didn't know what it would lead to. But then, Prom had led to a lot of unexpected things.

For one, she came to the decision that Jesse would make an excellent friend…but only that.

She could forgive the egging. It's not like it hasn't been done before or anything, and she could at least appreciate the fact that he basically broke up with her through song. What she couldn't handle, though, is the fact that he was a failure. Not just any failure, though, the kind that cheated through high school and couldn't make it through one semester of college. Then he gave up and ran home with his tail between his legs.

Jesse could be her friend, like a straight gay best friend, but she, unfortunately, no longer found him attractive sexually. It was really too bad, considering he treated her the best while having the most in common with her than any of her other boyfriends or stalkers. But the heart wants what the heart wants, and that is someone who isn't a college drop-out creeping on high-schoolers.

It is also rather unfortunate that her attempt at explaining this tactfully led to him not quite connecting the dots, no surprise, and still attempting to woo her.

The second thing important thing that happened was that Finn proved himself to, once again, be highly hypocritical. Telling her to stop chasing after him and then interrupted her dance to get her date kicked out of the Prom. No real news, but a little important because of what it led to.

Which was the third important thing that happened…Quinn having a little mini-breakdown in the bathroom.

Rachel had known that Quinn was having problems, some of which she brought on herself and some that she didn't. But this was a little different. Quinn didn't just yell at her and call her insulting names…Quinn hit her. More importantly, she apologized immediately afterwards.

The hints of problems that were peeking out during what Rachel referred to as the "Get It Right Piano Incident," hints Rachel had willfully ignored at the time in favor of her own drama, were out in full force.

Rachel did her best to make Quinn feel better. She couldn't help herself. It didn't really matter who it was, to be honest, Rachel just couldn't stand people looking sad. She had barely resisted breaking out into a song about overcoming the past to embrace the future.

She had even chosen "Blue Wind" from _Spring Awakening_ (despite its failure to work during the play) before realizing that Quinn probably wouldn't appreciate the gesture and instead comforted her as best she could and made a note to keep an eye on the other girl.

They couldn't lose National's because one of their performers transferred schools, after all.

Which is why when, the very next night, Finn came to apologize, Quinn was the first thing on her mind.

She brushed aside the other boys apologies and asked about the other girl and was a little bit upset with the given response.

Finn, looking slightly ashamed, wasted no time explaining his half-rate apology. She had let her temper get the best of her and yelled at him, quickly losing her composure.

"Finn Hudson," she had hissed at the cowering boy, "all she asked for you to do was show up and smile. Do you know what she thought last night was? It was her last hurrah! The last chance to be good at something, be a success, before she prepares herself for a future she has no desire for. It is one thing to interrupt my good time, quite hypocritically I might add, but she is your girlfriend!"

The boy had tried to defend his actions, lackluster though the attempts were, but eventually he was persuaded that Quinn would be dumping him quickly if she didn't get another apology. A real apology.

Unfortunately, Finn's only idea was apologize to her come Monday morning at school. Not only would it be too little too late, but it would bring up Quinn's loss in front of the student body.

Rachel knew she had to step in.

She dragged the boy up to her room and set up a list of the ten best apology songs. She then had Finn pick which one to sing so that it would still be his choice. As he was deliberating, Rachel called up Mercedes and questioned her about Quinn's Sunday morning habits. Though they were not as close as they used to be, Rachel figured the other girl would still have some insight.

Still high on her own Prom success, Mercedes had gladly shared without asking any questions.

Finn had finally decided so Rachel burned the song to a cd and let him borrow one of her stereos.

She might have also called him at eight to get him ready.

And hid in the backseat of his car to make sure he didn't screw anything up.

But everything went perfectly and Rachel felt inordinately pleased at the smile she could see blossoming on Quinn face.

It felt nice to know that she caused it.

As much as she loved Finn, he never seemed to really appreciate her romantic gestures. Even if Jesse was now as sexually attractive as a mannequin, at least he appreciated it when she won him a care bear.

To see Quinn, who was usually so good at keeping her emotions under wrap, giggle and smile, the light shining in her eyes, made Rachel want to keep her always smiling. It was true Quinn was a beautiful girl (and much more than that), but when she smiled instead of glaring or crying…she was gorgeous.

The idea that, after this, Finn would go back to being a somewhat inept boyfriend, putting in effort only to earn forgiveness or "rewards," and Quinn would once again start bottling things up and preparing for the life of a Lima Loser was heartbreaking.

So, after Finn had went back home to sleep the rest of his day away, Rachel prepared. She didn't have all the information she wished she had, so she made a couple of educated guesses based on some of her observations. She did, though, make a note to subtly find out some of Quinn's favorites.

In the meantime, Rachel picked up some generic but lovely flowers, some men's cologne that smelled a good deal better than that horrid Axe spray Finn insisted on wearing, and a new day planner that she bedazzled with a big Q.

Monday morning she woke up bright and early and snuc- and let herself into Finn's house to wake him up as well, providing him with coffee to help wake him up.

And then she told him the plan. She provided the flowers and the ideas and Finn provided the boy and the popularity. Well, she didn't phrase it like that.

Though she might have insinuated that his uninspiring performance as a boyfriend may be the reason all his girlfriends cheated on him.

She got him up and sent him to the shower where she had already replaced the few bathing products he owned with more pleasant smells (and she may have let Kurt take the fall). While he was in there, she set out his outfit and destroyed all of his Axe spray. And then, dressed for success and a man with a plan, she sent him on his way, hoping he wouldn't screw everything up.

Rachel would come to learn that, as long as she gave very clear and specific instructions, Finn was actually quite decent at following orders. He seemed perfectly happy as long as he didn't try to think for himself.

After obtaining a copy of Quinn's schedule from the office aide, who was apparently giving out other people's schedules willy-nilly, and a map of the school from the computer, Rachel spent the rest of her early morning devising the best way for Finn to escort Quinn to her classes like a gentleman without missing his own.

It would take some doing, but she had enough contacts and sources that she was pretty sure she could get him a special hall pass. After all, she got one that allowed her access to the auditorium at all times and special hallway privileges for when she had the urge to sing through a crowded hall (which occurred more often than most would think.)

Even though she was still single, life seemed to be picking up. Thanks to some timely blackmail on Principal Figgins, who really needed a better password for his computer, Rachel scored enough of a Glee Club budget to pay for Nationals and hire on Jesse as a consultant. This led to practices that were actual practices instead of "sit around and watch people perform"ices.

Jesse was harsh and brutal, forcing them to put in extra hours of effort and tearing them apart with vicious criticisms. Rachel had needed to up her herbal supplements and hot tea regimen to help her body keep up. It was fantastic! So it was quite clear that her professional life was working out now that Glee Club was finally becoming Show Choir and heading to Nationals (New York!).

What was also fantastic was her personal life was also going well. Even if she was in a constant state of doubt about their true feelings, she definitely had more friends this year as shown by the number of sleepovers and get-togethers she had participated in. While she didn't have a boyfriend, she was being pursued by cute boy who sung really well (but was also apparently a savant) as well as stalked by her own personal (creepy) paparazzi.

She was spending increasing amounts of time with Finn and was somehow managing to bring beautiful smiles to Quinn's face.

And, in a fantastic mixture of all the success she was enjoying in her life, she even managed to plan another romantic serenade, even if it was for Finn to sing to Quinn. That just made it more challenging to plan and create, which meant more fun!

It was no wonder she had been wearing a smile as she woke up an hour early to make some "Happy Friday!" cupcakes for Quinn. She could have made them the night before, but she figures the girl will appreciate them still being a bit warm.

She allows Finn to have exactly one, no more than that, and brings some in for Jesse since he's being such a great sport about everything.

She sort of regrets it when he smiles smugly for the rest of the day.

But Quinn was also smiling all day, especially during lunch as her, Santana, and Brittany ate them and laughed in front of the Cheerios table, so it was a win.

Plus, the cupcakes put Quinn in a good and receptive mood for the planned Friday night date. It was their first one, not Finn and Quinn's of course but the first including Rachel…'s input, so Rachel had to make sure it was special. And amazing.

She had been scouting possible locations all week and luckily found the perfect picnic spot Thursday and the meal was already all planned.

She will admit that she used the same picnic basket she had once used with Finn in the auditorium, but it actually seemed somewhat fitting. Knowing that Quinn was still somewhat insecure about her weight (the cupcakes had been a bit of a risk), Rachel packed only healthy food items that may or may not have also been vegan. She had taste tested everything though, having both Kurt and Noah also test the food to make sure everything was appealing. After making sure Finn had sufficiently memorized his "Say and Don't Say" note cards, she spritzed him with some cologne, handed him the chocolates and flowers, and sent him on his way.

She did not hide in the bushes and watch them or anything, though. Kurt had forced her into another "talk-about-Blaine-and-then-sleep" over. She even resisted the urge to abandon the sleepover when Finn arrived home, but persevered. But, after Kurt and Mercedes had let the sandman whisk them away, she snuck into Finn's room and woke him up, grilling him on how everything went. Apparently it went well.

Unfortunately, Finn continued to be hugely unhelpful when it came to knowledge about his significant other (she wondered if he knew this little about her) and Rachel had to interrogate Quinn herself. She cleverly disguised the maneuver under another task for Glee and completely fooled the other girl, easily finding out her favorites without anyone being the wiser.

To keep up the charade, she also ended up knowing everyone in Glee Club's favorite things and rewrote "My Favorite Things" from _The Sound of Music_ as an original song incorporating this newfound knowledge. It made the song a little longer, but really stretched her creativity and got the juices flowing, so she considered it a win.

She did exclude herself, as it was only fair, and managed to offend almost everybody though.

It was mostly a win.

At the very least, it made choosing gifts for Quinn much easier. Rachel really preferred to personalize her gifts, after all. Generic bouquets and sweets were for the lazy.

Eventually, though, Rachel discovered that the hardest part of keeping Quinn happy was Finn. He listened to her directions and followed her orders, but he was the infallible human element in this equation. After he was five minutes late to one of his dates, and hadn't remembered to shower after basketball practice, Rachel brought out the his-and-her kitty calendars. This allowed her to keep better track of him and leave him reminders and details to follow, even when she wasn't around.

Even with perfect punctuality, or as perfect as Finn could be, Rachel still had to devout countless hours to behavior training.

She set up certain actions he should be doing every day, without being told, such as picking Quinn up, meal included, and walking her to class, while carrying her books. She even sent daily, sometimes hourly texts to remind him of these duties. She tasked him with smiling adoringly at Quinn, at all times, and spent a day working with his facial expressions so the smile was just right. She made new "Say and Don't Say" note cards daily to keep up with how often Finn's foot made its way to his mouth.

But when it was just Finn and Quinn together, preparation only went so far. When they were alone, Rachel could only trust that Finn was prepared and ready.

So she made sure they were never truly alone. Of course, she didn't hide behind bushes or in trash cans or anything, that would be taking it too far. But her and Jesse had a number of friend-dates that coincidentally occurred near the other two. And she made a number of excuses to make sure things weren't going wrong.

Jesse, G-d bless his empty little head, never seemed suspicious.

And it was a good thing too. Once, she had a quick rendezvous in the Breadstix kitchen (after telling Jesse she needed to practice her scales real quick and bribing the cook to let her stay) after he had accidentally ordered something heavy with garlic and had no idea what to do. And the time at the zoo when the met up in the lion feeding area (Rachel told Jesse she had to powder her nose) after Finn told Quinn that she reminded him of an ostrich. That one was hard to fix.

Not to mention the bug Lauren had helped set up. It had taken copious amount of chocolate, but, when Rachel couldn't be there in person, she could listen and relay messages to the boy from her laptop.

Finn had thought that was super awesome and Rachel concurred. Kurt, who had been brought in when an inside man who knew how to cook was needed, thought Quinn was going to have a restraining order on Rachel by the end of the year.

He found everything very entertaining, though, and his love of wacky dramatic scenarios kept his mouth shut.

In fact, Kurt had found Quinn's Quinn Fabray All-Day Birthday Extravaganza Carnival to particularly amusing and had even helped her set it up.

Somewhere along the way, though, things started to get a little…complicated. She became a little too involved, if it's actually possible to become too involved (Rachel doesn't believe so).

She had initially arranged the spa days because she felt that she – Finn, really – was smothering the other girl. She prompted some mother/daughter bonding because she feels parents should actually spend time with their children instead of just throwing money and dance classes at them. And she intervened and actually spoke to Judy Fabray because, after watching the two women sit in silence, identical frowns in place, she felt it was necessary. And, although she hadn't shared it with Quinn yet, Rachel had already begin researching colleges and scholarships that would be good for the other girl.

Somehow, Rachel had gone from helping Finn to making Quinn smile to making Quinn's life better.

And, judging by the quiet sobs into her shoulder, it was a failure. Rachel wants to blame Finn, and a part of her does. He acted impetuously, breaking up with Quinn on a whim and at the worst possible time. Rachel might not be the expert, but she knows that if she broke up with someone she cared for, that she claimed to love, then she would at least put some thought into it. Take some time to make sure it was really what she wanted and at least try to figure out the words to make it as painless as possible.

Finn apparently couldn't even wait until he got her home. Rachel hates to think it, but this isn't the first time Finn dumped a girl and left her stranded. He really needs to work on his technique.

Still, she is honest enough to know that she created most of the mess that led up to this.

She sighs, refocusing her thoughts on the girl huddled against her.

When Noah dropped her off, she made sure to pull Quinn along with her. Noah and Sam looked on in concern, but a small shake of the head sent them off and leaving the two of them alone.

Once inside, Rachel spent some extra time setting things up and making things comfortable for the two of them, grateful for the moment to compose her thoughts.

This was a very delicate moment, and Rachel had to approach it with care. She will admit that she thought the cheerleader had remained ignorant throughout everything, but that was apparently too much to hope for. That Quinn hadn't called her out, though, raised a number of new questions that Rachel wasn't sure she was ready to deal with. But Quinn apparently was.

Except, if Quinn was admitting that she…enjoyed what was going on and allowed it, than she must really be upset right now. To allow that vulnerability…either Quinn really trusted her or she was really messed up right now. Either way, Rachel would have to tread lightly.

She finished up the hot cocoa she had made and snuck a look into the living room where Quinn was huddled up. As beautiful as Quinn's smile was, seeing her so despondent was heartbreaking. She still looked lovely of course, Quinn always somehow looked lovely, but Rachel really couldn't stand seeing her so miserable. It made her want to cry…or feed Finn to the lions.

With a small frown, she pulled out her phone and sent a quick message to the boy.

[Finn Hudson, I am upset with you right now. While your effort at the funeral was rather marvelous and should be commended, your actions afterwards are contemptible. Unfortunately, we cannot talk right now as I am picking up the pieces of the mess you made, but you can trust we will have words tomorrow. Please do not contact me until then as I am rather busy and will call Sam and Noah to dispose of you.]

Satisfied that it was clear and succinct, she nodded to herself, turning the phone off before tucking it away. She grabbed the cocoa and headed towards the living room, trying to hide her nervousness.

It was time to face the music.

**Also, if anyone is curious, this is the song Rachel ended up making as the cover of finding out Quinn's likes and dislikes.**

**Anyone care to guess which verse belongs to whom.**

_Smiles on faces and hats on my head._

_Cats all around me and San on my bead._

_Watching the duckies and playing on swings_

_These are a few of my favorite things_

_Wearing hot dresses and that camo jacket_

_Digesting dinner and making a racket_

_Fine cigar smoking and beds with great springs_

_These are a few of my favorite things_

_Super great fashion and fine moisturizer_

_Hitting the right notes as my voice goes higher_

_Watching Blaine "dance" around as he sings_

_These are a few of my favorite things_

_Being Asian_

_Dating Asians_

_Touching his abs,_

_I try to remember my favorite things_

_And never end up feeling bad_

_Dating a cute girl whose really quite swell_

_Playing the guitar and football as well_

_Reading comics and giving girls rings_

_These are a few of my favorite things_

_Being badass and also quite cute_

_Having great guns and talent to boot_

_Wooing the ladies to see what it brings_

_These are a few of my favorite things_

_Being on top and winning the crown_

_Not being pregnant, no need to skip town_

_Baby doll dresses with matching earrings_

_These are a few of my favorite things_

_Asian girls_

_Manly twirls_

_Facial expressions from Brad_

_I try to remember my favorite things_

_And never end up feeling bad_

_Throwing the football and making a goal_

_Eating grilled cheese and being all cool_

_Big man on campus and all that that brings_

_These are a few of my favorite things_

_Cadbury crèmes and Milky Way bars_

_Wrestling guys 'til they see stars_

_Being the boss and pulling the strings_

_These are a few of my favorite things_

_When the tots go_

_Or no solo_

_And I feel so sad_

_I simply remember my favorite things_

_And then I don't feel so sad_

**Obviously, I am not meant to be a song writer.**


	4. It's Not Him, It's You

_**A/N: Alright, this is technically the final part, once again lacking the humor of the previous piece. Thanks for all the response to this fic. **_

_**I might have an epilogue coming, but no guarantees.**_

**Chapter 4: It's Not Him, It's You**

They may or may not have just sat there, staring at each other, for the next ten minutes.

Rachel, completely ignorant of certain social norms, was just staring at her intensely, apparently waiting for her to begin the conversation. Quinn will admit that, as weird as it is to have someone stare – possibly without blinking – for ten minutes, it was more than a little bit thrilling. Finn, after all, would have lost patience nine and a half minutes ago and either blurted out something indescribably stupid or started daydreaming.

Quinn can't speak, though. Her mouth is dry, no matter how many sips of hot chocolate she takes, and her tongue feels like it's going to fall out of her mouth. Plus, her throat must be closing up or something, because she can barely swallow.

It's not nerves, by the way. Quinn Fabray does not get nervous, especially not for Rachel Berry.

Still, Quinn admitted some very stupid things not too long ago, things they now had to talk about, and Quinn was not ready. Not at all.

Part of her wants to talk about it, this weird situation. At least then, she'd be the one in control of the conversation, directing the flow and holding the power, but she can't bring herself to speak.

This talk, whether they are clearing the air or figuring out their stories, is going to lead nowhere fast, because Quinn already knows what happened and how this is going to play out.

Rachel wanted to help Finn, make Finn happy, spend time with Finn, and Finn's Finneptitude meant that helping Finn made Quinn very happy. Embarrassingly happy.

But now, helping Finn didn't equal making Quinn happy, so that would stop. Instead, Rachel would leap back into Finn's ape-like arms like some sappy, stereotypical rom-com, and Quinn would be left in the cold, loveless and all alone.

Rachel was a nice person, insanely and stupidly nice, which was why the other girl was treating her so well right now. Why she had always treated Quinn well, even when Quinn was being a vindictive harpy (ignoring the stupid things Rachel's supposed love for Finn had her doing). But, after getting the clichéd, if slightly altered, "it's not you; it's me" speech, Quinn would be gone.

Left alone.

Out of sight and out of mind.

Her breath caught in her throat as the traitorous thoughts swam through her head, and, suddenly, she couldn't take it anymore. Not one more moment.

Something must have shifted in her eyes, some tell-tale sign that her fight-or-flight instincts had finally activated, because Rachel started moving towards her, a sudden flutter of energy, a split-second before Quinn jumped up to run.

"I have to go- get out of here. I didn't think- I don't-" Quinn spoke hurriedly in hushed tones, struggling slightly in Rachel's grasp. The other girl had reached forward, suddenly and impossibly close, to lightly grasp her arm. She hadn't grabbed anything else, and her grip was soft and comforting more than an actual restraint, so Quinn could have very easily shifted away and escaped from the confusion and hurt that was sure to follow.

But it was the light grasp, soothing and nonthreatening, that kept her there. If she had grabbed tightly and tried to hold her back, Quinn would have only struggled more, panicking at the containment. The soft grip and, more than anything else, the eyes full of promise and care, were much better at keeping her from running.

Rachel really did know how to deal with her.

Quinn swallowed harshly, blinking away at her tearing eyes, as Rachel began speaking.

"It's okay, Quinn. Really, it is. We don't need to talk about anything you're not ready for," she says, that Rachel Berry intensity focused only on Quinn, causing that familiar shiver. "I understand. I think we should talk, figure out what's next, apologize, but only when you're ready. When you're comfortable."

Quinn knows she will never be ready, much less comfortable. After what she admitted earlier, impossible to take back, Quinn figures this is just one more thing that needs to be swept under the rug, buried and ignored until it is completely forgotten about.

Rachel knows when it's best to ease up and when it's best to push – and if Quinn looks back, she's seen the signs that Rachel has always known – and Quinn's anxiety settles as Rachel, full of soft words and gentle touches, eases her into the couch.

Sometimes, Quinn forgets that not everyone is a Fabray and accustomed to dealing with life's little issues the same way she is. Rachel, at the very least, will never let an issue die so easily.

Quinn knows she'll have to talk about this eventually, and better in private than in front of a crowd when Rachel loses control of her delicate filter, but Quinn would rather let it fester for a while as she scrambles for excuses.

She's killer at making up excuses. Seriously. Deception is her middle name.

Mono via gumballs. How could Sam get mad at her saving someone from choking? Or hot tub insemination. Her taco baby. That time she convinced Santana that Camo and Suspenders were in. Or when Fuchsia, the original shoo-in for head cheerleader, was led to believe that the first cheer meeting was taking place at the local McDonalds.

That one was classic. The girl ended up transferring to Jane Adams after Coach Sylvester sent out a search team and found her eating a frosty.

But sitting down, listening to the gibberish comfort words Rachel was spouting, Quinn didn't have time to put her excellent subterfuge skills to works.

She was just going to have to be honest and hope everything worked out. Her realistic side, the part of her that begged her to cling to Finn and spoke of a future stuck in Lima, told her that, even if Rachel wiped them away, she would still be leaving the house in tears. But if that was happening no matter what, she might as well get it over with.

Rachel's soft voice, normally so loud and brash, was soothing her, and Quinn really couldn't help herself as she leaned against the other girl once again.

"Okay," she choked out, face hidden in Rachel's shoulder, "Okay, I can- I can do this."

Rachel quieted, just holding her, and Quinn had to push away the traitorous thoughts sneering that, soon, she wouldn't have anyone holding her.

Rachel was still just holding her, waiting on her, giving her all the time she needed, but Quinn didn't want that.

She was done. She already knew she lost…everything, and now she just wanted to get it over with. She appreciated Rachel putting the ball in her court, allowing her to steer the conversation, but Quinn, for once, didn't want to be in control.

So she decided to reveal her hand.

"You chose the corsage, right?" she asked Rachel quietly. The other girl tensed.

"Yeah."

"The musical apology after prom?"

"Yeah."

"Picking me up in the mornings with breakfast? Walking me to class? The Quinn Fabray All-Day Birthday Extravaganza? The personalized ring-tone collection?"

"Yes, okay, yes! All of the above!" Rachel finally shouted, showing a little anger, although, more than anything, she sounded embarrassed and ashamed. "I screwed up. I get it!"

She started to pull away from Quinn, but Quinn, before she even realized what she was doing, tightened her grip on the other girl, not letting her go.

"I just- I didn't mean for it to get so messed up," Rachel admitted, a slight crack in her voice. "I just…I know that it's just a stupid teenage thing, but Prom is important. Maybe not in the grand scheme of things, and maybe not for everyone, but, especially for girls, it's a chance to feel like a Queen, even if it is only for one night. That's why I worked so hard to get Mercedes to go. And that's why I helped Finn."

Quinn is leaning against Rachel as Rachel speaks softly. She might not have needed the explanation, might have already assumed the worst, but she really is all ears. She knows that most people zone out the second Rachel opens her mouth, but Quinn has always listened.

But only because it's the best way to find information out about Rachel. To make fun of her. And stuff.

Whatever.

At least, the way Rachel was explaining everything now, it seems like Rachel was initially trying to help Quinn, not Finn, and that's a little nice. Quinn sighs, as she listens to Rachel continue to explain.

"Finn was being a moron!" Rachel hisses and Quinn perks up. "I mean, it's not the first time that Finn wasn't interested in until I started seeing Jesse, okay, so I was used to that. I even sort of expected it because Finn is a little predictable. But he was thinking about bailing on Prom, for no real reason. It was passive aggressive bull! So I tried to help."

Rachel goes quiet for a moment, obviously thinking something over, although Quinn can't fathom what must be going through her mind at the moment.

"When you…lost, completely unfairly by the way, and we had the little incident in the bathroom, it made me think. About you, and my actions towards you, and I realized a great deal. I meant what I said, about your beauty and your worth, but I also think it opened my eyes a little."

Quinn stilled completely. She couldn't speak because she honestly wanted to hear what Rachel was going to say, but this wasn't in the script.

"I only met you in the eighth, you just seemed…perfect. You weren't like me. You were pretty, yes – of course, but more than that. You knew what to say, what to wear, who to talk to, who to ignore. Everybody liked you. I never really had one of those clichéd secret crushes most people get on a popular student, like Kurt's on Finn. And don't roll your eyes at me. My feelings for Finn had absolutely nothing to do with him being the golden boy of the school and everything to do with him being a very good male lead."

Rachel turns her head and looks Quinn right in the eyes.

"If I'd had one on anybody though, a secret crush, it would have been on you. I don't mean this in a weird way or anything, but I wanted to be your friend so badly…even when all you wanted to do with me was call me names and make snooty remarks. You just seemed, outside of your need to degrade and humiliate me, perfect and amazing."

Quinn's really not sure how she's breathing right now. She's fairly sure she isn't. She doesn't know what to make of this.

"I got over it, of course," Rachel says loftily, averting her eyes and showing just the right amount of anxiety that makes Quinn wonder. "I mean, what would it say about me, as a person, if I spent my times wanting to be friends with somebody that treated me like something they scraped of their shoe. Finn came along, and he was adequate, though I did get a little too invested. It's just…he was nice to me, at least compared to everyone else, and I did not want to lose that. But little moments keeping popping up that show your vulnerabilities and Finn's flaws, and everything's gotten so confusing!"

Quinn was finally starting to feel some hope. It was a weird hope. She still didn't know what she wanted.

She wanted things to stay the same, mostly. She liked having the popular quarterback as her boyfriend. Liked the looks of adoration from her peers. She liked it even more when that popular quarterback treated her well, treated her like Rachel Berry would treat her.

What she didn't like was change. She hated change. Change was perpetually bad for her. In fact, any change that seemed good was really just reverting and going back to the status quo, like when she was allowed to have a home again.

But things had changed. She cannot undo the past, so she has to figure out how to make this work for her.

She can't have the popular quarterback as her boyfriend. She doesn't know how she'll be able to keep the looks of adoration from her classmates.

But she might be able to keep Rachel. Keep her from Finn…keep her for herself. Quinn isn't really sure what she wants, this is true.

Mostly, she just wants somebody to love her. Sincerely love her. Unconditionally love her. Not for her looks or her popularity or her family or prestige, but just for her.

Just for Lucy Quinn Fabray.

And, for the first time since she was a young girl, she feels hope.

It's worrisome. Every time she feels a flicker of hope, it is extinguished. Quickly and with extreme prejudice. 

So she braces herself. But that stupid, spreading hope, as annoying and persistent as the girl creating it, continues to grow and become stronger, until it prompts her to do something stupid.

"Are you gonna leave me?" It came out hesitant and weak, but it wasn't supposed to come out at all. Crap.

It was the number one thought going through her head, the only thing she really cared about in this conversation, but she wasn't supposed to say it out loud.

Rachel, technically, couldn't even leave her, since they weren't together. She was dating Finn… had been dating Finn…had been dating a Finn puppet. But not Rachel. Not really. For all she knew, Rachel was completely satisfied with Jesse. Or was going to jump back to Finn. Or whatever, but she wasn't going to stay with Quinn in any capacity

But she had said it. The stupid, _weak_ words had escaped her mouth and cut off whatever Rachel was going to say.

She's not sure what she expected as a response, but Rachel's silence certainly wasn't it. The thing was, Rachel was usually remarkably good at talking her down and making her feel better, so she had expected something like that.

But Rachel was quiet.

Quinn's heart was pounding.

"I…" Rachel started, pausing to clear her throat uncomfortably, "I don't…quite understand what you mean. I could shower you with false platitudes right now, but I don't- right now is the time for honesty. Right? I don't _want_ to leave you, I really don't, but what exactly do you mean."

Of course. It's not enough that she showed her vulnerability and weakness to the one girl who really had the power to destroy her (though was the least likely to try, even if she had the most reasons to do so), now she was expected to speak about it. About her feelings and thoughts.

But, if she had already started, already put it out there, now she had to finish this. After all, what was the worst that could happen. Complete and utter failure and humiliation?

Bring it on.

But she couldn't do it in Rachel's arms, couldn't risk feeling the other girl pull away in- in disgust or fear or – or whatever.

She pulled away, quickly and with no preamble, pulling a disappointed grunt from the other girl, and sat at the other end of the couch.

"I don't really know," Quinn gritted out between clenched teeth, hands tightly gripping the couch. If Rachel really wanted to know what she was thinking and feeling and all that, the other girl was going to work for it. "I'm not good at – at this! I don't talk about my feelings or whatever. I'm not supposed to – that's not the Fabray way."

"Well, the Fabray way could certainly use some work then," Rachel mumbles, mostly to herself, but Quinn hears and has to resist the urge to speak up in defense of her family. She knows it's true. Maybe if she was able to talk to her family more, if they were able to talk to each other, she wouldn't have ended up pregnant or homeless last year.

Quinn's head snaps up, attention drawn again to Rachel as the other girl claps her hands unexpectedly, a small smile on her face.

"Alright then," Rachel starts, a gleam in her eye that Quinn is certain she has seen before, "Let's start there! We will examine your inner most thoughts and feelings to help us reach a definitive conclusion of any future happenings between the two of us. How exciting."

Quinn arches a brow at the smiling girl, a little confused at the rapid turn around in emotion, and the other girl droops a little.

Which wasn't even Quinn's intent. She sort of, kind of, maybe likes it when the girl is sxcited and energetic. And she kind of likes the idea of being the one who caused it.

Finn always looked so excited to be singing with Rachel or doing stupid boy stuff, but was so half-assed and lazy with just about everything involving Quinn, it was so infuriating. Even when he was being the perfect boyfriend, he still looked bored with half the things he was doing, although he made quite the attempt to appear otherwise.

Seeing someone who was not only excited about just talking with her, but was completely open about the excitement, was nice. Great even. So she ignored her curiosity and trepidation about the rapid mood change and smiled at Rachel, attempting to lighten the mood.

It worked.

"Okay," Rachel said, not even trying to appear calm as her leg being bouncing, "This is going to be a clear channel of communication between two people. We both must be honest and try are best not to hold anything back. We must remain open minded about what we hear, but, for this discussion, everything will remain in confidence. No judgment, no gossiping, no fear, okay?"

"Yeah," Quinn answered, a little hesitant, but heartened by the promise of everything remaining between the two of them. Despite Rachel's reputation of a big mouth, the thought of her spilling anything Quinn reveals hadn't even occurred, which was a little terrifying. It should have been at the top of her priority list.

Rachel had already thought this through, though, which did make Quinn feel more comfortable.

"Great," Rachel answered, taking her one word as an enthusiastic reply, "Let's start. I guess, the most important thing we need to figure out is what you want. Nobody else in the room and no judgment from me, but in a perfect world where you get whatever you want with no repercussions, what is it that you – and just you; not your parents or friends or society – want."

Quinn swallows nervously as images and memories fly through her head. She still doesn't know what she wants or how to make things work…but what Rachel is talking about. Ignoring society and her mother and everything, that's ignoring her needs. People don't ignore the needs to focus on the wants. It's unrealistic. It will only lead to – to stupidity or heartbreak.

"I- I don't know exactly what I want," Quinn begins. She thinks this is a little stupid and unrealistic, but she can try. Rachel deserves that much, even if it does end up a flop. "I have little idea, bits and pieces of things that I want, but they don't – I can't make the bits and pieces into a whole picture."

"Then start small, Quinn. Start with the bits and pieces and will create a picture with them together." Rachel is just disgustingly earnest and optimistic.

Quinn thinks, for once, this might be a good thing.

"Okay. Okay. I guess, the number one thing. I don't – I don't, am I allowed to say what I don't want to start off with, instead of what I do want." Quinn doesn't know is she's giving herself time or seriously asking for some defined boundaries, but she accepts Rachel's small smile and nod with an another deep breath before beginning again.

"Fine. I mean, cool. Uh, good." Quinn steadies herself. She sounds like a moron. "I don't want to end up like, like my mother. Or Terri Schuester. Or Coach Sylvester."

Quinn looks over at Rachel to see her reaction. She both craves and fears the reaction.

Rachel looks interested, head cocked and eyes curious, but there is definitely no judgment, as promised.

"Clarify, please," the other girl asks sweetly. Quinn blinks in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Rachel doesn't sigh at her or her lack of understanding, but Quinn reminds herself that Rachel is used to dealing with Finn.

"What you said makes sense but try clarifying what it is exactly that you don't want. What about those women do you not want for your future?" Rachel is patient, not pushy like Quinn would expect. So she answers as honestly as possible.

"Most of the time," Quinn starts, "it's just this knee-jerk reaction. I'll see one of them do something or say something and just know how easily that could be me, and I'm just disgusted at the possibility. Not – not at them. I love my mom, really I do. As long as she's happy, her life can be whatever she wants. But I see her sometimes, just a small action or phrase, and my first thought is 'Please, not me. I don't want that.' And I don't think she's happy. I don't think Sylvester is happy or Mr. Schuester's ex-wife. They all seem miserable."

"I don't want high school to be the best years of my life. I know, _I know, _ that is what's going to happen, and I hate it. I want a future. I want to get away from the small-mindedness and the expectations. I don't want to end up a stepford house wife, reliant on my husband. Or the shrewish harpy wife. Or…or alone, clinging to my past and being a bitch, a caricature, to get through the days."

"I just want a future where I can – I can be me, me away from all this high school bullshit. And I want somebody to love me, that me, the real me."

She holds in the tears, like she should, and does not look at Rachel. This is why she doesn't do these chats. Why would anyone want this. It's exhausting and emotionally draining and horrible feeling.

Rachel, quiet as a mouse, slides up against her and wraps an arm around her. The hug is loose and comfortable and, as Rachel leans against her without saying a word, Quinn can't stop the single sob or the small flow of tears.

Rachel doesn't say anything as she wipes them away. But after their quiet moment, she finally talks.

"I feel a little stupid Quinn. I shouldn't have…when we had that confrontation before Regionals – at, at the piano – I probably shouldn't have been so self-involved. In retrospect, I acted wrongly during our confrontation. I should have seen what you were trying to show me," Rachel says quietly, her voice soothing Quinn's tears.

"One thing I can tell you, though," Rachel continues with Quinn still in her arms, "is that you, Lucy Quinn Fabray, have enormous potential. The future is wide open for you. We may both be small town girls, living in our lonely worlds, but we don't need to take midnight trains to anywhere. We have possibilities. Your grades are phenomenal, you have a wide variety of extracurricular activities to show well-roundedness, and those failures in your life that you're so ashamed of will make spectacular college entrance or scholarship essays. And anything you need help with, I'll be there. If you want to get away from this town, avoid being a Lima Loser, you can. I guarantee it. And if all else fails, you can totally sleep on my coach in New York City as I work my way up to being the next Broadway sensation."

Rachel finishes this, pulling away from Quinn to shoot a cocky smirk at her, and Quinn is flooded with warmth. She still can't really believe it, still feels the fear that keeps her up at night. As nice as the speech was, a minute of listening to Rachel doesn't automatically fix everything.

But Rachel is still disgustingly earnest and optimistic, and Quinn sort of wants some of it. Wants to believe.

More than believing, though, she wants to work for the future. She wants to try.

"Okay, enough of that," Quinn says, putting those thoughts on the backburner, "What's next?"

Rachel looks a little startled, which is immensely satisfying for some reason, and fumbles for a moment.

"Oh! Umm, we're still on you and what you want. Those are good thoughts for the future, and I personally encourage thinking of the future, but what do you want right now?" Rachel asks, unshakeable. Quinn sighs, wishing they were talking about anything else. Anything.

"Well, okay," Quinn starts, and decides that it is time for something Rachel probably doesn't want to hear. "I – I do want social acceptance. I hope my future is great and all, but right now, I don't want to be the girl that got pregnant or the gleek. I liked being the head cheerleader. I like being popular. I like people looking at me like I matter, moving out of the way as I walk."

Rachel is contemplative, staring off in the distance before she speaks.

"I'm not going to tell you that is wrong or you should ignore everyone. Everyone wants to be accepted by their peers and looked up to, this is human nature. I cannot, though, tell you where to rate this on your level of importance. Nor can I tell you how to make this happen, for obvious reasons. Between the two of us, you are probably the one able to spin the social situation to get what you want. All I can tell you is that, despite what most of the school seems to think, being popular does not equal being happy, although I believe you already know this." Rachel has a point.

Sometimes, Quinn is the most popular girl in the school, but she also feels like the most miserable one. Popularity does not equal happiness. But it should.

"Quinn, what's next?" Rachel asks, urging her forward.

"Uh, well, like I told you," Quinn continues, fumbling, "I want someone to – to care about me. Like right now. I want someone who likes me for me, not because of my looks or my popularity. I don't want them to fall in love with my eyes or the lies or the cheerleading skirt. I guess, I want a friend who will be there for me, whose not about to stab me in the back at any moment."

"Quinn…?" Rachel says, conflicted and hesitant.

"Yeah?"

"You already have that one, I can tell you that much., I promise." Rachel still looks so earnest, so Quinn doesn't scoff or roll her eyes, ignores her first instincts and just gives the other girl a small smile.

"Rachel…I don't – I really liked dating Finn this time around. Not – not because of Finn. Finn was second choice. I cheated on Sam with him, I did, but I wanted Sam. But since Prom…since you, Finn has been great. I know I can't get that back, with Finn choosing you over me and all, but I really did – do want that. If we're being honest." Quinn isn't sure what prompted this confession, doesn't know how Rachel will take it, but couldn't contain it any longer.

Rachel is staring at her seriously, and Quinn is so very thankful Rachel didn't just laugh at her, nodding her head as she thinks everything over.

"So, then," Rachel says, suddenly looking smaller, "was I…good?"

"What?" Quinn asks in confusion, ignoring the thoughts that immediately pop into her head at the words.

"I mean, I- I'm not a very good girlfriend. I wish I was, I tried so hard, but Finn never had anything good to say and Jesse broke up with me, and Noah, well, I dated Noah for three days so it didn't really count. I didn't have time to screw that up. And I know that I was just helping Finn, but…just – did I do a good job?" Rachel says really quickly, not looking at Quinn, and Quinn reminds herself that, for all of Rachel's brash confidence, there is a teenage girl underneath it all.

It's so easy to forget, sometimes, with Rachel's larger than life personality.

"Rachel…" Quinn isn't sure how much she wants to reveal, but, looking at Rachel's sad eyes, decided to go for it. "You were seriously the best boyfriend I ever had. I mean, the Lion King calendar was completely unnecessary and all, but we all have are quirks and everything else totally made up for it. You're like a total prince charming. I mean, Finn was still a fumbling mess when it came to…the intimate moments, but you had him trained but good. I don't know how you got him to speak the perfect words sometimes, but it was like you were there every step of the way." Rachel smiles brilliantly at her, all teeth, and Quinn can't help but smile back.

"Microphones and flash cards," Rachel chirps proudly, which may cause Quinn's smile to waver for just a moment. Rachel really needs to learn to filter herself.

It's not that Quinn minds the weirdness, as long as she profits from it, but Rachel would probably have more friends if she knew what to say and what to keep to herself.

Whatever. If weirdness leads to the kind of dates and plans she's had recently, she can embrace it.

"Yeah, totally. So, we've been talking about me this entire time, what about you? What do you want? Know that Finn dumped me, are you going to leap back into his arms?" Quinn finally asks the question that has been on her mind since the beginning.

"Oh, uh, I don't think so." Rachel stutters, suddenly looking nervous. Which is weird. Quinn would think this is the kind of thing Rachel could talk about all day.

Although, now that she thinks about it, Quinn doesn't really know all that much about Rachel Berry. Most of the things Rachel says, to a room or a crowd or anyone willing to pretend to listen, are vague exaggerations and stories. Or even details and stories that are only personal if she doesn't look deeper.

Like, she knows Rachel has two gay dads and a therapist, but that's about it. And she's never seen any of them at their competitions or school events. And Quinn wonders if they would have learned about Shelby if Mercedes and her hadn't been there in the auditorium when Rachel figured it out.

And Rachel had tried keeping Jesse a secret at first too. Only her lack of experience and insecurities, thus creating a need for advice, had given her away.

Quinn narrows her eyes at the other girl.

"Why not? Isn't he what you wanted this entire time?" she asks, moving closer to Rachel to better assess the situation. Rachel grips at her shirt, fumbling with the bottom of it.

"Well, yes, for the most part. I do love him, I do. But working with him in such close quarters, hearing his thoughts and seeing how he treats girlfriends from an outside perspective…sort of put a damper on any sort of romantic feelings. I care about him greatly. He is and will always be my first real friend, which is a big deal, but looking at the past and especially the future…I don't think we'll work out. And I'm no longer desperate to make that happen. As far as friends go, I have Kurt and Noah as best friends – and Blaine and Sam and Mercedes. And Jesse, of course," Rachel explains, easily falling into the rapid speak ramble she is so fond of.

Quinn wonders what is wrong with her that she can follow it so easily, and that she can barely contain a smile while listening. By the end, though, that smile is well contained.

"Does that mean you're dating Jesse now?" Quinn growls out, nonchalantly examining the portraits aligning the walls. She doesn't miss the way Rachel squints at her, face more confused than anything else.

"Jesse and I have made a mostly mutual decision to not reignite our previous romance," Rachel replies easily.

"Mostly mutual?" Quinn asks, voice less of a growl now.

"Well, I guess- I decided that we really are better as friends…he will always be my first long-term boyfriend, but that is all we can be. He just hasn't completely gotten the hint yet. I mean, he knows we're not dating and I told him we never would, but he's still trying. The attention is nice, though. He's very supportive of me. If Kurt's my gay-boy best friend and Noah is my straight-boy best friend, I'm not sure where Jesse stands. I'm thinking he could be like a brother to me, but we did almost have sex before, so that makes that a little awkward…It would be just perfect if he could be bisexual, though. And it's practically a requirement of the theatre…" Rachel is starting to mumble to herself now, so Quinn cuts in quickly, before she loses Rachel to her head.

"Rach!" she prods, and Rachel head whips back to Quinn, surprise etched on her face. Quinn sighs to herself as she realizes this is the sort of thing she will have to get used to…

Quinn freezes.

Did she really just think that?

Did she mean it?

Yes. If so, though, she must fully assess the current situation. Her resolve tightens, and she looks seriously at Rachel.

"Why did you decide to be friends with Jesse…is it because he egged you?" Quinn asks, knowing that, in all the time she's known Rachel, her deeds probably added up to worse than egging.

"Uh, not really. I'm a very forgiving person, as long as they apologize sincerely, which Jesse did. And I don't think Finn's ever even apologized for how he's treated me in the past.," Rachel explains. She looks closer at Quinn, appraising the other girl for just a moment, before sighing to herself.

"Okay, I would appreciate if you didn't really tell anyone else this," Rachel starts, waiting until she gets a nod of assent from Quinn before she continues. "I very obviously have a type."

Quinn chuckles and nods, trying to ignore questioning this type a little. Because, for all her words so far, Quinn also doesn't fall into this dark male lead type she knows Rachel likes.

"And I know it seems physical, but, although I do appreciate height and good looks, that's not what draws me in. I like the musical talent, of course, but more than that, I like passion. And success. Finn might not be the smartest person around, but he does have the confidence on stage and gets right into whatever song he is singing. Unfortunately, I have learned that he is rather apathetic in most other areas of his life, including romance." Rachel frowns thoughtfully before she continues.

"Jesse seemed like the whole package. He was taller than me and definitely good looking, but he also had that aura of confidence. He had talent and stage presence and knew he was headed for great things. But he really wasn't. He was kicked out of college because he couldn't survive without an Asian kid to take his tests for him. He's a great singer and an excellent dancer, I assume an amazing actor, but he has no substance. I would love for him to come to New York with me when I graduate, be my go to leading man and future co-star, and I would joyfully help him learn to survive in the real world. But I can never date him." Rachel looks unsurely at Quinn, as though expecting to be judged on not wanting to date a college drop-out with no future.

"So wait, forget him being like a brother to you. He sounds like one of those trained animals they use in TV shows and movies," Quinn finally says with a laugh. "He's like a dumb pet that you enjoy playing with. What are you going to do in New York, have him sleep on your couch until you need him to perform?"

"Hmm, I suppose that is an apt metaphor. He is already sleeping in my basement." Quinn blinks in surprise. "And I do have to make sure I feed him or else he either forgets to eat or eats too much. Ohh! And we go on walks together!"

There is a lot Quinn could say right now. A lot. But she decides to keep her mouth shut.

"He's living in your basement?" Well, Quinn mostly keeps her mouth shut.

"Uh, yeah. His parents don't know that he was kicked out of college, so they still pay for his credit card and car and give him some extra money for school, that he's saving. So he's living in my basement," Rachel answers, looking away nervously.

That doesn't even make any sense.

"Wait, you don't feel the least bit guilty about that? And how do your dads feel about this? Why is he our show choir consultant if he can't last a single year at college?" Quinn asks incredulously. She has a feeling that hanging around Rachel is going to end up giving her migraines.

"Well, not really. His parents are sort of jerks, but he had a full scholarship anyways, so they just give him some extra living money. And my dads don't know about Jesse. They're not that observant and I'm very good at hiding things when necessary. I mean, you haven't seen or heard him, but he's in the basement right now. It's soundproofed and locks with me having the key for when I need private time or performance times. As far as consulting goes, it really is mostly to keep him busy. Idle hands are the devil's workshop," Rachel explains with a shrug. Quinn, though, is still confused.

How would her dads not notice that she has someone living in the basement? Yeah, the pet metaphor is turning out to be completely accurate, but this is weirder than she would have thought possible. A large part of Quinn, the queen bee part that likes to keep track of pertinent information, wants to look closer, figure this all out.

An even larger part wants to stop talking about Jesse St. Who-Gives-A-Crap.

Rachel, apparently, does not.

"Quinn! Quinn!" Rachel exclaims, bouncing in her seat, and Quinn knows an idea has officially struck. "We can use Jesse."

Quinn's eyes furrow in confusion. "What?"

"Don't you see? It would be perfect. You can date Jesse! It will work in your favor because he is a hot older boy who, as far as anybody knows, is on full scholarship at UCLA! He was just as popular at Carmel as you are here! You can say you stole one of my boyfriends as revenge for constantly stealing yours! And you would totally win the break up!" Rachel shrieks, way too excited for this plan.

She is off the couch, buzzing around like she took some vitamin D, and unable to notice the deep frown on Quinn's face.

"This will be so much easier too. Jesse takes directions so much better than Finn. And he's much more suave and less likely to stick his foot in his mouth. Plus, he's already at my home at any moment and understands the importance of planning and practice. And without classes…think of all the free time he has to dote on you!" Rachel continues yammering about how perfect the idea is as Quinn sits pouting, waiting for Rachel to notice her.

It's not a…horrible idea. Really, it's not. It makes sense. But, it suddenly seems sick in her mind, that she would walk around in a fake romance with a guy she doesn't even like on most days, kissing and hugging him. For what?

She doesn't want to date Jesse, even if Rachel would be the one in control.

Now that she's been forced to really look at what she was doing with Finn…with Rachel, she knows what she wants. And it's not Jesse.

"Rachel," Quinn speaks, quietly but in a tone that immediately draws Rachel's attention.

"Rachel, I don't want date Jesse."

Rachel droops at the failure of an idea, but turns to look at Quinn inquisitively.

"It's not a bad idea, okay," Quinn explains, not really wanting to hurt the other girl's feelings, "but, after everything with Finn, I don't think it's for me."

"Well, we've been talking about this for a while now," Rachel says, "and, despite my one brilliant idea, we haven't really gotten anywhere. Think, Quinn, think hard. Perfect world- what do you want?"

Quinn swallows because, finally, she knows what she wants. She wants everything she had with Finn, but she doesn't want Finn. She doesn't want Jesse. She wants…

"I want to wake up in the morning and know that someone is waiting for me, thinking of me, caring enough to make sure I have breakfast.

I want to go to school and have someone honestly want to spend time with me, willing to go out of their way to spend as much time as possible with me, even if it is just between classes.

I want to be able to look across the room and see someone smiling at me.

I want to have someone care enough that the only way they can show it is through song.

I – I want to go out and spend time with someone who cares about me, and, honestly, I don't care if it's a picnic in the park, a carnival dedicated to me, or just a cheesy movie at home."

Quinn stops, finding the nerve to say one last thing. She looks Rachel right in the eyes, taking note of the flustered, confused expression, and can't resist raising one hand to reach out to her.

"I want you."

Quinn says the words and Rachel completely freezes. She doesn't pull away or lean closer or have any reaction except for the way her body goes completely still.

Quinn leans closer to her, lips a hair away from lips and whispers, "Rachel…"

The other girl doesn't move at first, but slowly starts breathing again.

"Yeah?"

"Wh-what do you think?" The two of them are eye-to-eye, and Quinn swears she can see every freckle and every emotion flickering in Rachel's eyes.

"I – I don't know. You're not just saying this to keep me away from Finn, right?" Rachel replies, voice shaking with uncertainty.

"No, you already said you weren't going to take him back. I just…really liked the you behind everything. And I don't even mind the freaking Lion King calendar! I've been using it for everything. I know this seems weird or whatever, but I want somebody to love me, but every time I think of whose out there, Finn or Sam or Jesse, you're the only one I can stand the thought of being with, like all the time!"

Rachel still has that same flustered confusion across her face, and it is really not helping Quinn's confidence.

"I – I know I'm screwed up and – and a bitch, but it's like you look at me and see more than just the pretty wannabe prom queen. When you looked at me during prom, not just in the bathroom, but afterwards, I felt like I had possibilities and – and hope for the first time in how long. You smiled at me and it was enough. I want you, even if it's just a friend. But I want more. And I think, with you by my side, I can be more than what I am now. With you, high school won't be the greatest years of my life, because the future will be so much better."

She's still so close to Rachel's face, close enough that her breath, deep and fast in her nervousness, is mingling with Rachel's. Close enough to easily see the tears pool in her eyes and spill over, just as hers have done. And she's smart enough to know what that means.

With a deep, sad swallow, Quinn begins to move away.

With that first movement, though, the first sign of retreat, Rachel snaps forward, throwing her arms around Quinn in a fast, strong hug.

Quinn moves to return the hug, no longer sure what is going on, when Rachel pulls away, just far enough to look her in the eyes.

"I'm going to kiss you know," she warns, giving her just enough time to protest before she is moving forward again, this time much slower. Much more hesitant.

Quinn meets her halfway.

She doesn't know what to expect. Despite the rumors that Santana and Brittany's little lovefest have cause, she's never kissed a girl before. She's heard Puck talk about it, might've even made some snarky remarks to egg him on more, and heard that Rachel was a really good kisser, even if she does bite sometimes.

He didn't do it justice.

If kissing Finn was familiar and fun, sparking fireworks and reminding her of better times, Rachel was…sinfully good. This was not familiar and safe, comfortable and innocent.

This was dangerous.

This was so good.

Honestly, it's mostly innocent. Rachel is quick, though, and before Quinn knows it, she's on her back with Rachel on top of her.

A couch has never been more comfortable.

Her hand makes its way into brunette hair, think and soft, and she feels warm lips move to her neck and then nothing.

Her own confused eyes, still lost in a foggy haze, look up at Rachel staring down at her.

"Okay," Rachel mutters to herself, still straddling Quinn, "Yeah, this will work."

"Yeah?" Quinn asks, working through the fog.

Rachel smirks confidently at her.

"Yeah."

Jesse looks over at the clock again, pouting. Rachel should have been back an hour ago at the latest. The basement was nice and everything – it had fantastic acoustics – but he was hungry.

She was supposed to let him out.

God, who had locks on their basement, anyways.

He hopes Rachel isn't mad at him when she gets back. He didn't mean to knock over the plant.

He thought he saw a spider and was trying to kill it, but now there was dirt all over the floor.

He doesn't know how to clean it up – and cleaning is certainly beneath him anyways – so now there was stupid dirt all over his living space.

With a grunt, he gave up glaring at the door and went back to lay down on the couch and take power nap.

He deserved it after all.

Maybe he'd indulge in another shower afterwards. But only if Rachel still failed to bring him some supper.


	5. Epilogue

A Secret Relationship Unlike Any Other

Epilogue

Rachel shot a quick, nervous glance at her alarm clock, iPod docked and crooning a gentle, supposedly calming melody, before resuming her stare at her bed.

Well, more accurately, she resumed staring at the mess of shirts and skirts, along with the occasional headband, that used to be her bed. With a disgruntled huff, Rachel went back to work, picking through the mess to find that one perfect outfit, the one combination of clothes that would work together to make Quinn's mouth drop.

She wasn't having much luck.

She really, _really_ wanted tonight to be perfect.

Losing National's had been rough, though not for the reason most would think. While she was disappointed, who wouldn't be, she also found it incredible that their little group of misfits, with barely enough members to compete, somehow managed to make 12th place. She got to visit New York City, the land that will one day be her home, with the her favorite group of people.

Still, losing because of a stupid kiss was indescribably disappointing. She had told Finn at least five times that she didn't want to get back together with him, that she wanted to focus on National's, that she couldn't have any distractions. Somehow, in his little mind, he could ignore all that, only seeing that she had helped him with Quinn, that she wasn't dating Jesse, that she had gone out on the town with him.

He said it was a captain's meeting. She felt a little dumb for believing him. But she had told him!

It wasn't even anything personal. Her and Quinn were keeping their distance during National's too. Since Mr. Schuester decided to wait until the absolute last minute for them to set up everything (and at National's!), Rachel had to remain focused if she wanted to bring her team to victory. And Quinn, still not sure how to announce their relationship to the world (or her mom or even just the Glee Club) seemed mostly okay with that. But she wasn't okay with being ignored in favor of Finn Hudson.

Quinn might have some issues involving that particular situation, to be honest. Rachel has a sneaking suspicion that Quinn's brand new haircut, along with the smirking and giggling faces of Santana and Brittany (respectively), may have been caused by those insecurities.

It had taken Rachel a little while, plus a couple of brand new trust exercises she had googled on her smart phone, to get Quinn to believe she wasn't out canoodling with Finn, she wasn't taking him back, and the gigantic smile was only because she met Patti Lupone.

(PATTI LUPONE!)

(Seriously, though, Patti freaking Lupone!)

For some reason, her gushing over the Broadway legend also wasn't quite appreciated. But Rachel sucked it up, persevered, and finally got Quinn to calm down.

Which is why, when Finn kissed her in front of a live audience, forcing her to kiss him back or really screw up their chances, Quinn just about had a breakdown. Rachel had researched more trust exercises on the plane home, ignoring the glares from her teammates, the puppy dog eyes from Finn, and the utter nothingness from Quinn.

Nothing ever went her way. But Quinn eventually got over it (they made-out in the airplane bathroom – unsanitary, but thoroughly satisfying!), and, by the end of the day, the entire Glee Club knew they were dating, even if some of them had a hard time believing it and others wouldn't stop imagining it. With their not-so-secret relationship out in the open, the two of them were finally ready to go out on their first real date.

Which is why everything had to be perfect.

It would be a very daunting situation under any circumstance, but it was so much worse because Quinn, having gone temporarily insane, insisted on organizing the date herself and keeping Rachel completely in the dark.

Rachel appreciates the sentiment, that Quinn is trying to prove she's not just dating Rachel for the perks (which was a little bit of a shock), but it is also madness.

She's more than a little nervous. The only thing Quinn advised was a joking remark about dressing to impress or some such nonsense.

Rachel Berry always, _always _dressed to impress, and, as far as Rachel could tell, Quinn was never impressed.

She glanced again at the clock. Crap.

Only 32 hours and 27 minutes until their designated date time. She was doomed.

With a trembling hand, she reached out for her phone, quickly gliding through her contacts.

"Kurt – yes, I- no, that's not why I'm calling it's- Oh good for you, I'm glad that the two of you finally exchanged – NO! I didn't mean finally as in it was taking too- what? Really? Mercedes and Sam? That seems somewhat unlikely, although I guess I did sort of bring them toget- hmm. Oh right! Kurt, I have great need of your assistance. I am in a dire, _dire _situation. I have nothing to wear! Can you- well, you don't have to sound so eager or so smug…I'll see you in ten."

Sitting in her living room, Rachel was ignoring the flickering television, more engrossed in the slowly ticking clock. An hour, she still had an hour to go.

She, of course, was already ready. In fact, Kurt, who had not only picked an outfit that he had labeled casual, but dressy and "made her natural beauty pop" but also styled her hair and did her make-up had only left a half an hour ago. She was a little weary about the slightly indecent smirk he was wearing, but was fairly sure they were close enough that he had not sabotaged her again.

Part of her wanted to be up in her room, pacing and rechecking her make-up, but the room was soundproofed, and Rachel would not miss the doorbell. It was times like these she wished her fathers were present a little more.

An idea, fast and maybe not the best, popped into her head, pulling out a smile from her tense, nervous face.

Standing up suddenly, Rachel pranced across the room, eager to create at least one part of this date, even if it was only the stern, overprotective figure greeting her suitor at the door. She undid the lock from her basement door and hurried down the stairs, smile firmly in place.

The smile on faltered slightly at the sight that greeted her.

"Jesse St. James," Rachel bellowed, hands on her hips, "it is five o'clock in the afternoon. Why on earth are you sleeping right now?" Her only response was a small grumble as the boy burrowed deeper into the couch.

With a small frown, Rachel began pulling off the blankets until she could see the college drop-out and could shake him awake.

"Ugh," he muttered, eyes still closed as he tried feebly to push away her hands, "Noooo, I'm sleeping."

"Jesse!" Rachel said sternly, not relenting in her shaking, "I need you. Come on, get up. You didn't do anything all day. There is no reason for you to be tired."

"Fine," he finally snarled, opening his eyes and falling right off the bed. He righted himself nonchalantly, bending and pulling his body into a number of stretches until he finished with a small, content sigh.

Finally, he turned back to her with a smile on his admittedly handsome face. "So what's up."

One thing Rachel could admire about Jesse was his ability to go from sleep to wide awake in very little time, something most likely instilled in him from Shelby during his time in vocal adrenaline. It was an ability Rachel had been born with, but one she had also noted in all three of cheerleaders taught by Coach Sylvester.

"Quinn's going to be here in T-Minus 47 minutes. I need you to man the door while I properly prepare myself in my room," she explained, gripping at his shirt.

He gently pushed at her shoulders, pulling away so he could smooth out his rumpled shirt. "I told you before, Rachel," he stated with an eye roll, "I really don't want to be involved in any of this lesbian drama." Rachel let out an affronted gasp, which caused Jesse to smile slightly.

"Jesse St. James, do not label me!" she ordered, wagging her finger menacingly. "I know that you are slightly heartbroken from how everything turned out, but you are still my friend and this is a friendly request. Besides, I promised to be there for your when you go through your experimental gay phase once we reach New York."

He nodded, acquiescing at the reminder.

"Fine, whatever. Just remember, every second you force me to play along to this charade of a relationship shatters my soul just a little more," he told her, staring meaningfully into her eyes. She nodded in solemn understanding.

"Good, now while you wait upstairs, I'm going to call some delivery for myself," he said with an easy smile as he made his way out of the basement. Rachel hurried after him.

"Jesse, no," she lectured, chasing him up the stairs with a pout, "you just ate an hour and a half ago. You should be saving your money for more important things."

"I didn't eat," Jesse patronized, giving her a slightly condescending look, "that vegan food you gave me was gross, dry, and unworthy of me, so I hid it under the couch. I need a steak. Or a burger. Something meaty and juicy." Rachel shook her head in despair. At least he didn't want to try and cook again. She still hadn't gotten some of the stains of the ceiling.

"So," Jesse started, changing topics, "what is my direction here? When I greet Quinn at the door I mean. Am I the scorned lover? The protective older friend? An experienced and wise mentor figure to give her advice and guidance? Should I be dangerous and scary or jovial and welcoming?"

Rachel smiled in glee, keeping in mind that they were down to a half an hour, less if Quinn decided to show up early. This was why she still adored Jesse, even if he was a complete failure.

She quickly briefed him on his role. She gave a definite no to the advice or guidance, but she also dangerous and jovial. He needed the perfect mixture of scorned lover and protective brother figure. He should be protective, maybe a little jealous, but willing to try for Rachel. Then she scurried up the stairs to wait.

A scant twenty minutes later, time spent evenly between pacing, glancing out the window, and one rushed, panicked call to Kurt, and Quinn had arrived.

She may or may not have squeaked as Quinn's car pulled up. She began her meditative breathing, waiting for Jesse to call her downstairs. Her room was completely soundproofed, though, to prevent her from disturbing the outside world as well as the other way around, so she kept her eye on the little light she had personally installed above her door. It would light up when the one of the buttons conveniently located around the house were pressed and indicate that her presence was requested.

Jesse had thought it was brilliant.

The light flicked on.

.

.

.

The light flicked on!

Rachel abandoned any pretense of calm, hopping off the bed and rushing to her door, lest she keep Quinn waiting. She grabbed the door and flung it open, ready to skip down the stairs.

To her shock, and her loud gasp proved it, Quinn was already on the other side of the door.

"Quinn," she gasped, trying to regulate her breathing and her heart rate, "what are you doing up here? I thought you'd be downstairs with Jesse."

Quinn eyes skimmed over her, probably making sure she was dressed appropriately for their excursion, and answered in a somewhat distracted tone, "Yeah, uh sorry. He was being creepy, though, and inappropriate. He kept asking weird, unnecessary questions. I gave up after he started talking about…intimate stuff, you know, so I locked him in your closet. Sorry." Quinn shifted her gaze downward, looking a little embarrassed, but Rachel didn't answer, having found herself a little distracted at Quinn's appearance.

Like Rachel, Quinn had dressed a little outside her normal attire. Rachel, though, had only switched it up a little bit, ditching the argyle, knee socks, and animal prints, but keeping her general style – albeit a more fashionable, seductive version of it, at least according to Kurt. She had almost brought out the little black dress again, but was vetoed on grounds Rachel really didn't understand. Quinn, though, had completely shifted her wardrobe, and Rachel wondered if she also got some advice from an outside source.

Instead of her normal baby doll dress and cardigan combo, Quinn was wearing dark jeans and a dressy shirt. Along with the smart jacket she was wearing, Quinn definitely didn't look as feminine as she normally did but, combined with her new haircut and the way her clothes hugged her body, she destroyed Rachel's ability to use her words.

"Gah?"

Quinn looked back up hesitantly at the noise, and smirked confidently when she saw Rachel's eyes jerk up to Quinn's face. Rachel knew that Quinn had dated enough boys to know where they had been a moment earlier, but, luckily, she seemed to let it slide.

"So, uh, are you ready to go," Quinn asked, a tad bit more confidently. She even stuck her arm out, offering it to the shorter girl.

"Yeah," Rachel responded dreamily, taking the offered arm and exiting her room. They left the house together, arm in arm, and walked together all the way to the car, where Quinn opened the door for Rachel before quickly getting in the driver's seat.

"You look really pretty tonight, Rachel," Quinn suddenly said as they pulled out into the road, "Sorry, I meant to say that before, but I got a little flustered. You look great."

Rachel beamed at the compliment, glad her preparation and hard work had paid off. She smoothed out her skirt a little and eyed Quinn in her peripheries.

"You look fantastic as well, Quinn," she stated, her tone light and airy, "It's a little different from your usual, but you wear it exceptionally well. One could be jealous at how well you pull off just about any look, but I'm just grateful to be in your company with you looking so lovely."

She rather enjoyed the light blush that danced across Quinn's cheeks.

"Yeah, it's..it's a little different, but I figured you'd be in a skirt and I…well, Santana helped," Quinn said hesitantly, her voice barely heard over the radio (which, as an admittedly nice touch, was playing the cast recording of _Wicked_). Rachel frowned in confusion, not really sure what her wearing a skirt had to do with anything, but shrugged it off as another fashion thing she wouldn't understand.-*-

"Hmm," was her noncommittal response as she looked out the window at the passing buildings. Lima was a fairly small town, and they were rabidly leaving it.

"Now that we are on the date, can you tell me where we're going?" she asked Quinn, plucking nervously at her skirt.

Quinn pulled her eyes off the road just long enough to give her a small smirk, "You'll see."

Rachel pouted to herself, knowing Quinn wouldn't see it, and raised the volume as "As Long As You're Mine" started and began to quietly sing along, Quinn easily joining in as the male part. It helped ease her nervousness.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Quinn, because she did. She really did. Despite her initial, if unspoken, fears that Quinn really was just confused and longing for companionship and Rachel's incredible date planning, she had quickly figured out that Quinn was just as invested, if not more, in this relationship than Rachel.

Rachel admired Quinn, her beauty, her grace, her intelligence, her strength, and truly wanted to see her happy, but it wasn't like she had ever had an intense crush on the other girl. Honestly, she had never really put much thought on her sexuality, believing what would come would come, so Quinn's proposal had been a bit of a shock, but when they kissed, she had felt the buzzing, electric chemistry and decided to give it a shot.

She could do, and had done, a lot worse than Quinn Fabray, even if it ended an explosion of panic once the other girl calmed down and realized what she was doing.

But Quinn never panicked, wanting only not to allow their new relationship to become a spectacle, and Rachel never regretted taking the chance.

But Rachel really didn't like surprises. She liked drama, liked big presentations and actions, but she liked being in control and knowing what was going on even more. She just didn't have a great track record with surprises. She had learned pretty quickly that surprises could very easily be used to lure someone away from a crowd as to, oh, let's say throw eggs at them.

It was easier to take control, micromanage everything, than wait for a potential disaster to unravel.

But she bit her tongue. This was clearly important to Quinn, and she trusted Quinn. She did.

"Hey, you okay?" Quinn asked worriedly, "Are you bored with the songs? Do you want to talk some more?"

Rachel gave the other girl a pleasant smile, masking her unease.

"Oh yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking. I'm super excited, you know. So I was thinking about that. Trying to guess stuff. In my mind," Rachel stuttered out, trying to reassure Quinn.

It was not her best performance. Quinn's furrowed brow proved this.

"Truly Quinn, I'm fine. Just really excited. As you might have guessed, I'm not the most patient person and the suspense is killing me," Rachel tried again, doing much better this time. It helped, a little, mixing in a little truth. Quinn looked reassured.

The resumed their comfortable silence, Rachel keeping calm by observing Quinn's perfect cheek bones and, well everything. She really adored the haircut. She was also quite amused by the occasional emotion that flickered across Quinn's face. Eventually (and it was quite a while), once they were good and out of Lima, Quinn pulled into an unfamiliar restaurant.

Quinn quickly jumped out of the car as soon as the engine was turned off and rushed to get Rachel's door for her. Giggling, Rachel allowed it, and the two held hands as they walked into the restaurant, The VegiTeranean.

That sounded familiar. From the name, Rachel could guess it was a vegan restaurant, which was probably why it sounded familiar. Upon turning to veganism the previous year, Rachel had taken to looking up any restaurants near the area (and those in New York), so it was probably one of the…

Wait!

With a gasp, Rachel figured out where they were and started bouncing excitedly, beaming at the smiling Quinn.

This was Chrissie Hynde's, from The Pretenders, restaurant. This was perfect. Rachel ended up dragging Quinn the rest of the way to the restaurant.

Rachel doesn't know how Quinn managed it, but they are sat quickly and she is soon scouring over the menu.

It's amazing, really. Rachel is vegan for a number of reasons, some moral and some vanity, but in a small town in Ohio, it can be a bit difficult. Or, rather, very difficult. Because of her own admittedly atrocious cooking ability, which she had repeatedly tried to remedy, she found herself eating mostly whatever she could find out restaurants around town.

The few options she could find were truthfully getting a little stale. Lima didn't offer much more than plain salads and whatever Rachel could hassle the staff into preparing for her. Sometimes the staff wouldn't even do that much, like Breadstix that couldn't even prepare marinara sauce without meat.

So seeing all these choices - pizza, pasta, soups, entrees, and some amazing salad choices – made Rachel giddy. She had never been much of a food person, but Rachel could've ordered one of everything at that moment.

"Oh Quinn," she squealed, "This is amazing! How did you…I can't believe…You're so…" She couldn't even get the words out. People just did not do this sort of thing for her. Most people treated her veganism as a joke, or another annoying thing about her that they had to deal with. No one, especially not Finn Hudson, went out of their way to accommodate this particular trait.

The thought behind the gesture was even more pleasing than any of the food could ever be. She would have to make sure Quinn knew just how much she appreciated it.

Quinn just smiled indulgently throughout her gushing.

They shared a very nice, pleasant meal. Quinn seemed to enjoy her chick'n fried Portobello steak with white bean mashed potatoes and braised greens and the charcuterie plate they had shared as a starter, and Rachel absolutely adored her Tuscan grilled eggplant parmesan.

More than the food, Rachel really enjoyed the easy conversation the two of them shared. Rachel talked in more detail about her future and New York, and Quinn actually listened, and, eventually, began to hesitantly share some of her own thoughts about the future.

In fact, their conversation had taken a rather serious turn.

"Quinn," Rachel was saying, "what I said at prom was true. You are capable of so much more than you think."

Quinn's gaze was fixed at the table as she pushed her food around with her fork, apparently unable to meet Rachel's eyes.

"I'm not like you Rachel," she finally said, "I don't…I want to get out of here, I do. But even before- before last year, I really didn't have many plans for myself. I did everything I was supposed to just so I could have a chance to go to college, get out of this Podunk town, but I never had plans for what I'd do then. And I couldn't even handle that."

Her voice was low and hesitant as she shared her fears in a very uncharacteristic manner. The fact that she was sharing anything at all meant that she trusted Rachel, a trust Rachel certainly would do her best to live up to, and that had to start now.

So she did her best to mend what seemed broken, just like she always did.

"There are people in this world who work to live and those that live to work," Rachel started, reaching out to catch Quinn's hands, "People who love what they do and those who work so they can work to survive. When I was younger, my fathers were the ones who put me in dance and singing classes, and pageants, and I loved it. I loved every bit of it, the stage and its audience, even the harsh heat of the spot lights. So I set out to make it so I could do that for the rest of my life. All you need to do right now, is figure out what you love enough that you want to do it for the rest of your life and then work for the chance to do just that. But Quinn, you still have a whole year to figure that out, longer really, and you have everything you need to get to that point. So trust yourself to find happiness, because I certainly trust you to help me find mine."

Quinn gave her a watery smile and soon the conversation turned to lighter topics, allowing the two to really enjoy the rest of their time in the restaurant. But even without the heavy topics, the conversation stayed interesting and equal. Rachel didn't have to dumb herself down or talk to an zoned out audience, which was a bit of a difference.

In fact, Rachel rather liked that they could talk about sensitive, serious topics. Not only about themselves, but also about the going-ons in the world and the news. It was a relatively new experience, being able to hold serious, intelligent conversations – sometimes debates, without either side condescending the other or zoning out.

Finally, they finished up and left, Quinn picking up the substantial check at her insistence, and Rachel thought it had been a rather incredible first date.

But Quinn wasn't finished yet.

It really was a good thing they had such an early start because, on the way back to Lima, they pulled off at an old-fashioned drive-in theater that was playing some of Rachel's favorite old classics, still in black and white. Quinn pulled out some snacks and water from the back seat and the two enjoyed the snacks, the old films, and the cuddling.

It was magical.

They finally made it back to Rachel's house, minutes before Rachel's self-imposed curfew, and Quinn walked her to her front door.

"Thank you, Quinn," Rachel said sincerely, looking up into Quinn's eyes, "Though I was at first dubious about being kept in the dark for this evening's plans, as well as letting someone else create said plans, this evening was marvelous and romantic."

Quinn smiled back, looking at ease and comfortable, reaching out to grab one of Rachel's hands.

"I know you like planning and everything, and you can bet I won't take that away from you. I enjoy those dates too much for that, but I wanted to show you it wasn't about the dates you can think up. I like you, a lot, more than I ever thought possible. With you, it's like I'm living someone else's life. I wanted to make you feel just as special as you make me feel," Quinn said, playing with Rachel's hands.

"Well," Rachel smirked, "You certainly did just that. Now, I assume we will have a goodnight kiss, which you will of course instigate, so let me inform you now that I will be taking you out, with your agreement of course, in exactly one weeks time. I imagine we will spend lots of time together in between then and now, but it is always best to plan these things well in advance, as you know. This will give you time to check your Lion Calendar and inf-"

Quinn cut her off with a kiss. Despite how long it had been since they first decided to date – a whole two weeks! – the drama caused by Finn and Regional's and everything in between had led to them not really pursuing anything…intimate during that time.

Sure, they had that first kiss, along with a couple of rushed pecks and that one quick, messy make-out sessions, but they hadn't had much alone time and no true romantic moments.

That first kiss with Quinn, after all the tears and talking, hadn't quite been what Rachel would consider a magical first kiss. Quinn, after all, had been at wits end and desperate and, to be honest, Rachel wasn't sure how great an idea the two of them dating would be.

Yes, Quinn liked her through Finn, but she seemed to despise her most of the time, even if they had gotten better and had a few moments. And even if Quinn did like her, did want to be around her, there was a great deal of distance between that and actually liking her in a romantic way. Quinn had been so out of her mind at the moment, Rachel doubted she had considered the full ramifications of her actions during everything.

And Rachel, despite being a rather open and forgiving person, still had a lot to deal with and get over to truly date Quinn. Sure, she had always thought of Quinn as pretty much perfect (beautiful, smart, talented, and popular), but Quinn's actions toward had always prevented her from really liking the other girl.

But the kiss. Like she had said, it wasn't the most romantic kiss, but it had shown her something. Her and Quinn had that ever elusive, electric chemistry. It was something that, no matter Quinn's desperation or Rachel's doubt, could not be faked. That kiss had made her buzz.

They had connected with the one kiss, and, if nothing else, it convinced Rachel to give them a chance. And Rachel was all about taking chances. So she dove in head first with all her enthusiasm.

And, so far, everything was going wonderfully.

The kiss they were sharing now, soft and sweet and romantic in front of Rachel's door…well, it certainly made up for anything that first kiss lacked. Rachel was buzzing again, connecting again, but it was explosive. There was no emotional exhaustion wearing her down, no taste of salty tears. Just Quinn, tilting her head at just the right angle and moving her lips just the right way.

It was their first kiss without any other emotions wearing at them. No jealousy or desperation fueling them. No self-consciousness battling against curious eyes. No worries creating a million expectations. Just the two of them and a doorstep.

Rachel, eyes closed and foot popped, found herself deepening the kiss without even realizing it, bringing her hand up to grasp at the taller girl. She felt, heard, and saw firewor- rocke- just magnificent explosions as the other girl's lips moved against hers, body moved against hers.

How could Finn ever break up with such a girl.

Eventually, of course, the two separated, breathing a little harsh. It was most definitely a worthy goodnight kiss. Guaranteed! And Rachel would inform Quinn of this as soon as she remembered how to do more than stare at the other girl in awe.

Words, Rachel! Everyone knows you can use them!

"So, I'll see you tomorrow, maybe?" Quinn asked, apparently able to find her words a little quicker, hesitant and awkward though they were.

Rachel licked her lips.

"Right…I'll see you then…or call you! Yeah, call you tomorrow!" Quinn rushed out, starting to appear nervous in face of Rachel's silence. Quinn began to back away from the door hurriedly and that, like always, managed to jolt Rachel into action.

"Wait," she shouted, reaching out for Quinn's hand and pulling the two of them close again. Their finger easily intertwined as Rachel, a breath away, looked up at Quinn.

"This really was the best date I have ever had the pleasure of being treated to. I loved the restaurant and the movies, I even loved the car ride. But my favorite part was the ending. Thank you for a fantastic evening Quinn Fabray, and I will definitely see you tomorrow," Rachel whispered and, before she could lose her nerve, delivered one soft, quick kiss and an enthusiastic hug before running inside.

The second she was inside, she leaned against her closed door and let out a content sigh. That really had been perfect and so much more than Rachel expected. Maybe surprises weren't so bad after all.

And then she looked at her house.

She was going to kill Jesse! She told him to never try cooking ever again, especially when she wasn't home! Yet, it looked as if the kitchen had exploded into the living room…and why was the closet door on the floor?

**The End**

**A/N: Okay, just so everyone is aware, I am taking liberties with locations here. Lima, Ohio and Akron, Ohio are really far away. Lima is actually pretty far from anything, it really is small town. But if the show can ignore this, so can I. Either everyone drives futuristic cars that travel three times the speed, or Akron and Lima are magically closer together.**

**Also, that restaurant really exists, but any information I got was from the internet, thus the lack of detail. ****The menu, though, looks fabulous.**

**I think the main reason I wrote this epilogue, at least in this way, was because I wanted to show that the relationship really would end up being equal between the two. This is the end though, while I might write up the occasional date, I do slightly doubt it.**


End file.
